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When the Golden State Warriors opted to part ways with guard Mac McClung, head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that the decision wasn’t one that he relished making. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“Letting Mac go was tough,” Kerr said in the aftermath of McClung’s release, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I love Mac, and I think he’s an NBA player.”
Alas, given the personnel that the Warriors had locked in place, the team felt that Ty Jerome was the better roster fit at the time. In addition to being a pass-first guard with significantly more NBA experience than McClung, Kerr and Co. felt that Jerome’s impressive size would allow him to do more on the court.
“Ty is a very intriguing player because of his size and his ability to see over the top of the defense, his pick-and-roll play,” Kerr added.
It didn’t take long for McClung — who lit it up during summer league and the preseason for the Dubs — to find his next hardwood haven, however.
McClung Set to Begin Another Year in the G League
McClung was officially waived by the Warriors following the team’s preseason-opening trip to Japan, where they played a pair of games against the Washington Wizards. However, he was scooped up by the Philadelphia 76ers just days later, putting pen to paper on an Exhibit 10 deal. Daryl Morey’s club cut the 23-year-old loose mere hours later, though, with designs on re-routing him to their G League affiliate.
Flash forward to now and it looks like McClung has finally reached that destination. Per HoopsHype’s G League and international transactions tracker, McClung was contracted to play for the Delaware Blue Coats as of Monday.
While it would be easy to view yet another developmental stay as a disappointment for the baller given how close he seemed to be to an NBA roster spot, McClung is no stranger to working his way into opportunities from the G League.
He has already done so previously with both the Chicago Bulls and the LA Lakers.
As it happens, McClung wasn’t the only noteworthy Dubs alum listed as a Blue Coats acquisition. He was also joined by three-time NBA champ Patrick McCaw, who spent time with Delaware last season as well.
McClung Made a Big-Time Impression During His Brief Dubs Run
When McClung debuted with the Warriors during July’s California Classic, he did so by dropping 17 points on the Heat. The fiery guard was at it again one week later, lighting up the Spurs with a 22-point, six-assist, five-rebound, three-steal effort in the Las Vegas league.
But McClung was hardly a summer-ball fluke. He blew up again during the Warriors’ second preseason game against the Wiz, scoring nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and adding two boards, two assists and two steals during a game-deciding, fourth-quarter comeback.
He also went viral for throwing down one of the sickest dunks you’ll ever see in a pre-game lay-up line.
Regardless, his fit from a player personnel standpoint was given greater weight than his on-court production and ability to energize the crowd in Golden State’s decision-making process.
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