Mac McClung has had a rollercoaster of a basketball career, to say the least. Right now, the future of his career seems to be without a clear answer. At one point, McClung was among the most hyped/talked about high school basketball players on social media. This was due to videos of him doing insane dunks (often in-game) going viral. These videos highlighted the crazy amount of athleticism he possessed. This helped him to get recruited by very reputable schools, including Georgetown, where he would choose to attend in the fall of 2018. McClung would later transfer to Texas Tech in 2020 before entering the 2021 NBA Draft. He was a solid player throughout college but did not get drafted by an NBA team.
Bucks Among Best Suitors for 2-Time Dunk Contest Champion Mac McClung
Dunk Contest
To many people, the NBA dunk contest has become significantly less interesting in recent years than it once was. With that in mind, there has been one massive exception in the past two contests: Mac McClung. He has been the best/most entertaining part of the last two NBA dunk contests, which is why he won both. Not only has McClung won the last two contests, but no one has even come close to him. It is cool to see him go from a viral high school dunking sensation to a multi-NBA dunk contest champion. He has truly captured fans with his insane athleticism and dunking ability. Unfortunately, his pro-playing career has not had as much success.
Professional Career
McClung has bounced around the NBA and NBA G League for various teams since 2021. He has signed two-way contracts with the Lakers, Bulls, 76ers, and Magic, with whom he has a two-way contract right now. Unfortunately, McClung has only played five career NBA games for a total of 71 minutes. Despite not getting a lot of NBA playing time, his first two years in the G League were very solid. In 2023-2024, McClung took a massive step forward and was named the G League MVP. He averaged 25.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. This season, he has come back down to earth but is still putting up solid numbers. After four years of well-played basketball, it begs the question: why has McClung not gotten more NBA playing time?
Possible Issues
Despite being a guard, McClung does not fit that mold very well in some ways. A big problem is that he is not a good shooter, particularly when it comes to three-point shots. Being able to shoot, especially the three-point shot, is often important at his position. This almost certainly plays a key factor as to why he is not getting more NBA playing time. Another massive problem is his size, as McClung is only 6-foot-2. Teams view him as a liability on defense due to his height. Despite only being 6-foot-2, he still manages to get normal rebounding numbers for a guard, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game for his G League career.
Despite previously mentioned shortcomings in his game, he has the talent to be an NBA player. A guard with that kind of athleticism could be of significant use. That begs the question: What will happen to him? I would assume the NBA will try to keep him around as long as possible, as he has been the only bright spot in recent dunk contests. A professional career overseas is a possibility for him as well. I would continue signing McClung to these two-way contracts for as long as possible. Two-way contracts are extremely cheap. McClung is a much bigger name than almost any other player getting one of these contracts right now due to his dunk contest success/notoriety. Keeping him around on cheap contracts for jersey/ticket sales alone would be a decent idea.
Teams in Need
I think any team would benefit from having him as a deep option off the bench. Additionally, teams could genuinely use him on the court. His current team, the Magic, should try giving him some playing time as they need guard creation and depth. Due to recent injuries, teams like the 76ers, Nets, Thunder, and Suns could use him. I could also see the Lakers, Heat, and Spurs utilizing him as a legit bench option. The Warriors could use McClung as a more athletic alternative for when Buddy Hield needs to rest. The Hornets could use him, as Josh Green is a fairly weak option at shooting guard as a young team giving McClung an opportunity makes sense.
Milwaukee Bucks
A team that I can see truly utilizing McClung is the Milwaukee Bucks, who have not had a steady option at shooting guard this season. Gary Trent Jr and Andre Jackson Jr have not been great so far. AJ Green has shown some promise but is most likely not an everyday option. McClung could be a legitimate option for Milwaukee coming off the bench if given the chance. If he were to shine in a role for the Bucks, he could carve out legitimate/regular minutes for them going forward.
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