The Lakers’ faith in JaVale McGee is paying off

Draped in a loose white t-shirt, navy board shorts and his legendary fanny pack, JaVale McGee strolled into the Thomas and Mack Center during a timeout in the middle of a Lakers game at Las Vegas Summer League this past July and was instantly showered with cheers.

The appearance, his first since inking a one-year, minimum deal with the Lakers, set the tone that the fanbase was ready for the McGee experience, and it was clear so was the front office.

The Lakers’ braintrust took what many believed was an unorthodox approach in rounding out their center depth after the departures of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle this summer.