Patrick McCaw has had an interesting past few weeks. After holding out on the Golden State Warriors as a restricted free agent, he was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 28.
McCaw appeared in three games for the Cavaliers before being waived on Jan. 7. Now that he has cleared waivers, he is reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors.
So who is Patrick McCaw?
Background
Patrick McCaw was born on Oct. 25, 1995 (23 years old) and is from St. Louis, Missouri.
College experience
McCaw played two seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). He averaged 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals over 65 games.
In his sophomore season, McCaw was named to the Mountain West all-conference second team and was first team all-defence for the conference.
NBA experience
McCaw was selected with the 38th pick (2nd round, 8th pick) by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Warriors on draft night for cash considerations.
In his first season in the league, McCaw appeared in 71 games for the Warriors (starting in 20 of them) and averaged 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists as an energetic 3-and-D guy off the bench.
His number was called in Game 2 of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs when he started in place of an injured Kevin Durant. McCaw stepped up with nine points, five rebounds, one block and one steal.
He started in place of Durant again in Game 3, adding a solid eight points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals in another win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
McCaw’s moment of fame came in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals where he became the first rookie since James Harden to score 18 points off the bench in a playoff game while also contributing five assists, three rebounds and three steals.
His second season in Golden State was cut short by a gruesome injury that caused him to miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Regardless, the Raptors are adding a two-time champion with playoff experience to their roster.
McCaw appeared in three games before being waived by the Cavaliers. He averaged 1.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 17.7 minutes per contest.
Skill set
McCaw is a long and extremely athletic wing who defends well on the perimeter. In his only full and healthy season, he shot 33.3 percent from 3-point range so he has the potential to add an outside shooting threat as well.
The Raptors should find great value in adding someone like McCaw to their second unit.