JaVale McGee on 2nd return from tibia injury: 'I felt real good'

JaVale McGee may be the most forgotten $11.3-million man in basketball.

McGee suffered a stress fracture in his left tibia in November of 2013, limiting him to just five games a season ago. He made it back for the start of the season for the Denver Nuggets to little fanfare before hitting the shelf again on Nov. 25, appearing in just one game between then and Jan. 28 due to continued soreness in his tibia.

McGee returned once again on Thursday, again to little notice. He played 15 minutes in the Nuggets' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring two points, grabbing five rebounds and blocking a shot. In his first game since Dec. 5 and just his 19th over the last two seasons, the output isn't nearly as important as his body's response.

"I felt good," McGee said. "I felt real good. My wind was better than expected. I'm sure I'm going to feel it once I get to Denver in that altitude."

Where McGee goes from here is a major question facing the Nuggets. He's still just 27 but has failed to deliver on the promise that saw the team deal Nene to the Washington Wizards for him in March of 2012 and subsequently sign him to a four-year, $44-million contract. 

He's under contract for $12 million for 2015-16, so the Nuggets have every incentive to see if he can work back to form. They could also audition him for a team that may want to roll the dice on an overpaid 7-foot shot-blocker, albeit Denver's asking price would have to be minimal. Either option requires giving him minutes, something head coach Brian Shaw may not care to do with other established or developing frontcourt players on the roster.