Why Has Mac McClung Not Made It?

In NBA circles, Mac McClung is a well-known name. But ironically, it is not for being an NBA player.

Primarily, his notoriety is because of his three consecutive Dunk Contest victories between 2023 and 2025. (It would no doubt have been a fourth in 2026 had he chosen to enter. The competition was not great.) Partly, it is because of his unique name. But in no way has it been due to his performances on the NBA courtside outside of All-Star weekend. After all, as of the time of writing, he has only played ten NBA games.

Despite recently setting a record for the most points in G League history, and currently leading the competition in points per game this season by a clear margin, McClung has never cracked the majors. He has been under contract to six different NBA franchises, and the other 24 absolutely know who he is, yet he has never been given the opportunity to prove himself at the very top tier.

The question, then, is why. Why has someone who has done more at the level immediately below this one than anyone else before him not made it in the NBA?

 

McClung’s Athleticism Has His Limits

There are several factors in play here, many of which concerns McClung’s actual performance on the court.

For all the scoring prowess he has exhibited, and the excellent shot-making talent he has from all areas, McClung’s style of play requires a usage rate he will not receive in the NBA. For all his athleticism in getting off the ground, his speed of decision-making – and the release on his shot – is slightly below par, and while he can make some nice passes on the move to capitalize on all the defensive attention he draws, he is not a point guard in the traditional sense.

At 6’2 and 185lbs, however, McClung is the size of one. As a score-first, score-second type of player, while inhibited by that lack of size, he leaves himself somewhat between positions, playing like a shooting guard without being able to defend the position. And he cannot defend NBA point guards either. The effort is there, but the lateral speed is not, and just as McClung is targeted by opposing defenses trying to stymie his movement and space, they also target him going the other way.

“Athleticism” is an attribute with many variables, and while McClung is known for his athleticism, it is only in the more glamorous ways. He can absolutely sky when running forward, but his hips turn slowly, he lacks strength to be any form of deterrent or barrier, and he does not run backwards nearly as well. In someone who would need to be a point-of-attack defender – after all, what other area of the court can he defend at that size? – this is terminal. If a player is to defend like Trae Young, they have to at least be able to pass like him.

All of which is to say, McClnng plays a star player style of game, without the talent required of an NBA’s star player. G League star, absolutely. But NBA star, not quite.

 

Father Time’s Undefeated Streak Continues

The main one, however, is age.

If McClung is to be in the pile of a hundred guards who could feasibly make the bottom third of NBA rosters, then McClung’s age counts against him perhaps more than anything else. By way of example, born in January 1999, he is almost two months older than perpetual MVP-candidate Luka Doncic. If a team is going to expend one of its precious roster spots on a player who will play – at best – replacement-level ball, they will do so on someone with the upside to go beyond that. And largely on account of his age, McClung no longer has that on his side.

He used to, of course. But when Mac McClung was 22 and of prospect age, he still had the above problems to overcome, yet had merely been an inefficient 15.5 points per game scorer at the college level. He would lose out on NBA roster spots to players such as Jordan Schakel, Scottie Lewis and Myles Powell because at least they had the potential through having a better physical profile. None of those guys stuck in the NBA, either – but for a time, they pushed McClung down the ladder. And with four more draft classes having come and gone in that time, he is heading further down it, even with his G League prowess.

Luck is a factor. Size is a factor. Speed is a factor. Age is a factor. And a lack of a discernible role on an NBA roster is a factor. None of them, in isolation, are deal-breakers. But none of them can be treated in isolation, and when combined, they keep the G League’s scoring champion on the outside, looking in. It is not a bad legacy to have, to be a “hey remember that guy?” figure in NBA social media history who highlights well and who will always have the Dunk Contest to fall back on. But the real riches that come from a successful NBA career seem destined to evade him. He is not quite what they want.

Mark Deeks I am continuously intrigued by the esoterica and minutiae of all the aspects of building a basketball team. I want to understand how to build the best basketball teams possible. No, I don’t know why, either. More about Mark Deeks