Oklahoma City big man Mitch McGary, whose very existence once eluded former teammates, has received yet another suspension for failing to comply with the NBA’s drug policy. He will face a suspension of ten games, which will be tacked on to the previous five-game suspension McGary won himself back in July. This will bring the total to 15 games, a more than sizable amount of time lost for a player hovering on the margins of a roster, hoping to rehabilitate his image and reputation around the league.
This is not a case of McGary failing another drug test, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, but his failure to adhere to the “procedural guidelines” set forth by the NBA. If McGary does not prove to the league that he is on track in the rehabilitation program, the Thunder will have the right to to terminate his contract. McGary, who was a pleasant surprise during his rookie year in 2014-15, failed to build on that promise with a strong sophomore outing, instead contributing more to the Thunder’s D-League affiliate before finally leaving the team for two weeks for mysterious personal matters.
Whether McGary gets back on track and returns to rookie form, or slips further and further into OJ Mayo territory remains to be seen. Needless to say, here’s hoping his career gets back on track.
(Via NBA, The Vertical)
