Mitch McGary was unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight this week. He’s going to be there a while.
The burly rookie forward of the Oklahoma City Thunder had spent most of his first NBA season recovering from injuries while toiling in the D-League. Prior to Sunday, he had played just eight minutes over two games this season while averaging 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in eight games for the Blue, Oklahoma City’s affiliate.
But on Sunday, the Thunder were hosting the Los Angeles Clippers in a nationally televised game and would be without center Kendrick Perkins, who was serving a one-game suspension for head-butting Tyreke Evans. McGary was recalled from the D-League to give OKC some temporary frontcourt depth.
Previously best known for charming snakes and sharing scooter rides with Kevin Durant, McGary came on late in the first quarter for starting center Steven Adams and gave the Thunder an immediate energy boost by running the floor and working both backboards. Over the next eight minutes, he scored 11 points with six rebounds before Adams returned midway through the second period.
When McGary came off the floor, the fiercely loyal fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena gave him a standing ovation, and he responded by waving his arms, making Loud City even louder.
“I’m a pretty energetic guy, so usually the crowd gets into it,” McGary said. “I always hear loud fans cheering when I enter the game, even when I don’t score or anything like that. I ended up having a good game, and all I could do was get the crowd into it even more.”
Minutes later, Adams broke his right hand in a battle for a rebound and left the game. All of a sudden, McGary was the Thunder’s third big behind Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison. He added eight points and four boards in his second-half stint and finished with 19 and 10 for his first career double-double.
Adams is out for at least three weeks following surgery on his hand. And although Perkins returned in the next game, McGary remained in the rotation – and responded with another double-double, this time going for 17 points and 10 rebounds in a win at Denver.
Considered an obvious championship contender entering training camp, the Thunder have been battling injuries all season – specifically to superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook – and find themselves in the fight of their life simply to make the playoffs in the unforgiving Western Conference. McGary is no exception; in fact, he kind of started this whole mess by breaking his left foot in OKC’s first exhibition game.
That cost him eight weeks, including the immeasurable importance of his first NBA preseason. McGary lost another three weeks to a shin injury, and his rookie season was starting to look like a redshirt season.
But according to coaches and teammates, McGary remained diligent. He put aside the snakes and scooters, committed to his rehabilitation and worked his way back into action, first in the D-League and now in the NBA.
“You see how much work he put in over the past month-and-a-half, two months of recovering and getting himself back in,” said Westbrook. “To see him get an opportunity was very exciting.”
With Adams out until March, there will be more opportunities for McGary, who appears to be more skilled on the offensive end than Adams, Perkins and veteran forward Nick Collison. He has a chance to develop into something more than a screener and garbage man in Oklahoma City’s pick-and-roll-based attack.
“We liked what we saw,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said after the win over the Clippers. “He was ready. And he’s going to have to be ready throughout the rest of this season.”
It’s important to remember that McGary is a rookie with very little experience. He has nowhere near the defensive savvy of Perkins, Collison or even Adams, a second-year player. He also is prone to inconsistency and proved that by following his double-doubles with a 15-minute DQ donut in Wednesday’s win over Memphis.
Which is why he hasn’t crashed this week’s table.
On to the rankings.
1. ANDREW WIGGINS, F, MINNESOTA: He finished another strong week with six points against Golden 
State, perhaps a product of facing a good defensive team but also possibly a product of the Timberwolves getting healthy again. In four games, Wiggins averaged 14.3 points and a solid 6.0 rebounds while shooting 48 percent (21-of-44) from the field. The award is his to lose. LAST WEEK: 1
2. ELFRID PAYTON, G, ORLANDO: The coaching change from Jacque Vaughn to James Borrego had no 
immediate impact on Payton, who averaged 11.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in his last three games before the break. His 3-point attempt Wednesday vs. New York was his first since Jan. 16. He was a late replacement for the Skills Challenge; hopefully he can knock down the foul line jumper. LAST WEEK: 2
3. NERLENS NOEL, F-C, PHILADELPHIA: You wanted consistency? Here is consistency. In three games, 
Noel had eight points and seven rebounds, then 12 and seven, then 11 and seven. He has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games and also leads all rookies in blocks (1.69) and steals (1.59). He is the only NBA player who ranks in the top 20 in both categories. LAST WEEK: 4
4. K.J. MCDANIELS, F, PHILADELPHIA: He is back to coming off the bench, spelling Robert Covington (understandable) and JaKarr Sampson (inexplicable). As a result, his minutes and production took a hit, although he did sweep eight boards in a win over Charlotte. McDaniels did have a highlight reel play in a loss to Golden State on Monday, giving himself a nice present for his 22nd birthday. LAST WEEK: 3
5. MARCUS SMART, G, BOSTON: His shot selection and impatience remain questionable – with his frame, he 
should definitely be attacking more – but Smart continues to find ways to positively impact games, either with his playmaking, defense or hustle. The Celtics are 4-1 since coach Brad Stevens decided to make him a starter, and that might not be a coincidence. LAST WEEK: 5
6. JUSUF NURKIC, C, DENVER: He continues to put up solid numbers, averaging 9.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and
2.0 blocks in three games this week and is considered an untouchable by a team widely considered to be cleaning house very soon. However, he begged out of the Rising Stars to go back to Bosnia, and it’s hard to believe a guy who would mad-dog Marc Gasol is actually homesick. LAST WEEK: 8
7. JORDAN CLARKSON, G, LA LAKERS: We have a tendency to punish those who have not been steady 
members of the table, which was why we dropped Clarkson after last week’s two-point effort at Milwaukee. But he played his way back in by averaging 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 steals in 28.0 minutes over four games last week. He has scored in double figures in six of his last eight games. LAST WEEK: NR
8. LANGSTON GALLOWAY, G, NEW YORK: He’s not the most efficient rookie, needing 47 shots to score 42 
points in four games this week. But he did average 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists with just one turnover in 121 total minutes. And with Carmelo Anthony ready to tap out for the rest of the season, Galloway will have plenty more chances to work on his shot. LAST WEEK: 9
9. NIKOLA MIROTIC, F, CHICAGO: It has become painfully obvious that Mirotic is far better suited as a 
stretch-4 rather than an oversized 3, which has been exposed by Mike Dunleavy’s prolonged absence. With Dunleavy back, coach Tom Thibodeau’s decision to turn to Tony Snell in Jimmy Butler’s absence tells you all you need to know about his trust level in Mirotic, who is fading fast. LAST WEEK: 6
10. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC, G-F, BROOKLYN: He managed to barely hang on to the last spot in the table by 
averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 21.0 minutes over three games, all losses. With Mirza Teletovic out for the season, the Nets need Bogdanovic’s shooting to space the floor for their bigs. But he has to be better than 2-of-9 from 3-point range because he doesn’t offer much else. LAST WEEK: 10
DROPOUTS: Jerami Grant, F, Philadelphia (7).
FIVE TO WATCH: Tim Frazier, G, Philadelphia; Zach LaVine, G, Minnesota; Mitch McGary, F, Oklahoma City; Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Houston; James Young, G, Boston.
Chris Bernucca is the managing editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Mondays, and his Rookie Rankings on Fridays. Follow him on Twitter.