The professional basketball career of David Lee has been one of peaks and valleys. Coming out of the University of Florida, he was the last pick of first round, ostensibly being overlooked by every team in the league, including the team that drafted him, the New York Knicks, who had one earlier draft pick before landing Lee. The left-handed Power Forward rose from relative obscurity to become a premier big-man in the NBA, only to cede back into obscurity, of sorts. During Game 4 of the NBA Finals Thursday night, however, the vindication of David Lee took hold. Being down a game and searching for an answer, Lee was given the opportunity and playing time he was was given on a nightly basis, and he once again made his presence known within the NBA landscape.
As a rookie, Lee played a more-than-expected amount of nearly 17 minutes per game. He didn’t do a whole lot more — 5.1 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists — than be a warm body on the court. He was, however, very efficient in shooting nearly 60% from the floor, and showed promise of good things ahead.
By the time Lee left the Big Apple, he was averaging a double-double (20.2 points, 11.7 rebounds) and a tick over three-and-a-half assists. He was an everyday starter as a Knick, a vital part of their team, and even made the East All-Star team during the 2009-10 season. After being a bit of an afterthought on draft night, Lee climbed the mountain top to become one of the game’s best players. After the season, Lee agreed to a huge 6-year/$79.54 million deal with the Golden St. Warriors that required a sign-and-trade to get him there.
In his first four seasons with the Warriors, Lee continued to average around a double-double per contest, give or take a rebound. He made another All-Star team. As it stands, Lee is ninth in field goal percentage among active players with a .533 mark.
This season, a series of events that were good for the Warriors were damaging to Lee’s importance. Andrew Bogut had his healthiest season in years. Draymond Green became a staple in the team’s starting lineup and won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. Add to that Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes’ ability to play multiple positions, and suddenly Lee was cast as a supporting actor, if not a cameo-only character in the screenplay that was the Golden St. Warriors’ season. With Lee making over $15 million this season and next season, he was even seen as being untradeable due to his contract – a salary albatross. Lee played fewer minutes this season than he did as a rookie, and battled injuries.
Then the playoffs started – the NBA’s “second season” – where the teams have their annual bench-shortening. Teams that routinely play ten guys play seven or eight. Lee was one of those odd men out. He was working his way back from an injury, but still, he did not log a single minute in the Warriors first round sweep of New Orleans. The next round, against Memphis, Lee played in five of the six games, but only contributed 14 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal combined over those five games. In the Western Conference Finals, Lee played only thirteen minutes over four games, adding nothing particularly noteworthy. In the first two games in the NBA Finals, Lee did not enter the game.
One needs not be a fortune teller to see into Lee’s future. His role on the Warriors has increasingly decreased, and his salary being what it is, Lee would appear to be on his way out of Golden State. He’s still a really good player, possibly even great in spots, and a valued commodity since his contract will expire at the end of next season. Battling injuries throughout this year, Lee’s season became one focused on small victories individually, and big victories collectively.
It’s human nature to want to feel the feeling of being wanted. Or, in Lee’s case, it would be basic human nature to want to validate his importance to the team, and justify his paycheck. It’s ironic that Lee’s worst season individually has come on the best team he’s been a part of. Throughout his tumultuous season, he’s said and done all the right things; he’s kept the focus on team success and not worried about himself. But again: If Lee were sitting on the bench, secretly hoping Green, Barnes, and/or Bogut get in foul trouble so he can get some run, Lee wouldn’t so much be a selfish player as he would be a mere human being.
The seeds of the validation and justification one would assume Lee was looking for began to poke out of the ground late in Game 3 of the Finals. Searching for an answer to Cleveland’s surprise attack, Warriors coach Steve Kerr put Lee in to play a small-ball lineup, thus rendering the Cavs’ twin towers of Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson less useful. Lee played over 13 minutes, was a perfect 4-4 shooting, and finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Perhaps more important and telling of Lee’s effort, the Warriors outscored the Cavs by 14 points while Lee was on the court, the best mark on the team.
Despite Lee’s performance, the Warriors still lost and fell behind two games to one in the series. It must have felt like it was raining pretty hard on the Warriors’ parade, an overwhelming favorite heading into the Finals. That rain though, was good for the David Lee Validation and Justification flower though, as he contributed 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, playing 15 minutes in Golden State’s Game 4 victory. While not his best game statistically, his fingerprints haven’t been smudged that much on a Warriors win in quite some time.
Obviously, it remains to be seen how much David Lee will be used going forward in these Finals. However, he already did what he needed to do to prove his worth. He’ll have next season to prove his value as well, hoping for another sizable payday. Game 4 was a small victory for Lee, but a very necessary one for him. In one game, his career came full-circle. On Thursday night, David Lee demonstrated his worth, and if Golden St. goes on to win the championship, that could prove invaluable.
