Can Mac McClung stick with the Warriors after Summer League?
McClung is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign with the G League,
where he averaged 21.6 points, 7.5 assists and 6.9 rebounds.
>LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 10: Mac McClung #55 of the Golden State
Warriors is congratulated by teammates on the bench as he checks out of
a game against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2022 NBA Summer League
at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
>LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 10: Mac McClung #55 of the Golden State
Warriors is congratulated by teammates on the bench as he checks out of
a game against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2022 NBA Summer League
at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: July 13, 2022 at 5:45 a.m. | UPDATED: July 13, 2022 at 7:32 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/07/13/will-mac-mcclung-stick-with-the-warriors-after-summer-league/

LAS VEGAS — Ten days ago, Mac McClung was donning Lakers threads and
going against the Warriors in the California Classic.

But McClung, now a member of Golden State, turned heads with his crafty
playmaking and exciting on-court presence in his first two games with
the Warriors.

McClung, 22, joined Golden State last week for a better opportunity
after the Lakers brought him off the bench during the California
Classic. He’s serving as a replacement for second-round selection Ryan
Rollins, who will miss all of Summer League with a stress fracture in
his foot, but is eager to make a lasting impression on the Warriors
coaching staff.

Entering Tuesday’s game against Boston, he was been doing just that.

McClung was the No. 2 scorer in each of his first two Summer League
games with Golden State. The 6-foot firecracker scored 17 points and
snatched four rebounds in his Warriors debut Friday and added 22 points
on 9-of-15 shooting with six assists and six rebounds in Sunday’s win.
McClung has made several noteworthy plays, including a behind-the-back
pass for a fast-break basket and a step-back 3-pointer with a defender
in his face.

“He’s been exciting, right?” assistant coach Jama Mahlalela said after
practice Monday. “You saw his performance [Sunday], his ability to get
to the hoop. We didn’t know he could do that at that high level… If he
can become elite as a shooter then you add that to his penetration then
you’re looking at NBA talent, but his competitiveness for sure is at an
NBA level, his care factor. We’re excited and if we can help propel his
career in any way possible, that’s a great honor for us.”

A down game Tuesday in a loss to Boston (nine points on 4-of-13
shooting) won’t help his case, but he already does have a highly
successful pro season under his belt.

McClung is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign in the G League,
where he averaged 21.6 points, 7.5 assists and 6.9 rebounds. He went to
battle against many of the players on the Warriors’ summer squad last
season, including Moses Moody and Quinndary Weatherspoon. McClung
dropped a combined 58 points in three games against the Santa Cruz
Warriors last season, including a 37-point showing Feb. 7.

After experiencing the Mac Attack firsthand, players who knew what
McClung can do joked with the former Georgetown and Texas Tech star that
it was good to see him on “their side” now.

“It’s been great,” McClung said of the last week with the Warriors. “I’m
just blessed to be in this situation and make the most of it.”

McClung believes he’s in a better position to succeed now after a year
of G League play under his belt, though there are still many areas of
his game he needs to improve to make it at the NBA level. He needs to
improve his 3-point shooting and shore up his defense.

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“This year in the G League, that’s when I feel I started to become a
real point guard. I’m going to continue to grow, I have a lot [of room]
to grow, and I got a lot to improve on,” McClung said. “… I definitely
want to learn the ins and outs of the point guard, the pace and
everything like that.”

It seems highly unlikely that McClung will stay with the Warriors once
the summer showcase ends considering that Golden State will want to see
what it has in Rollins. But McClung is making a convincing argument for
the Warriors to keep him on their G League roster or for other teams to
consider picking him up.

“I love to win, and that’s what this [Warriors] program does, so it
would mean the world to me” to stay with Golden State, McClung said.
“But I’m just going to stay the course and everything’s on God’s time.”