LAS VEGAS - Chance McMillian has spent enough time in motion to make the point clear before he ever says a word. When the ball is in his hands, he moves fast. When it isn’t, he looks even faster.
That constant cutting and darting has become part of the Warriors’ summer league guard’s identity, and it’s also the reason he’s in Vegas with something real to prove. Born and raised in Vallejo, McMillian is trying to turn a strong summer into a case for a role with the team he grew up watching. He was even at a Steph Curry camp as a kid, back when Curry was still a rookie in 2009.
Now 25, the 6-foot-3 guard is chasing a different version of himself at the next level. McMillian wants to show he can run the offense as a point guard, much like Baron Davis, another player he looked up to.
He handled that job at St. Patrick-St.
Vincent and later Bethel, where he became a 3-time Tri-County Athletic League MVP, before shifting into more of an off-ball role in college.
“To be your primary ballhandler and just continuing to build on my quick decision-making, and obviously being able to knock down the open shot would help too,” McMillian said.
The early returns have been strong. McMillian scored in double figures in each of the three California Classic games, then added four points in Golden State’s 101-90 win over the Mavericks in the Las Vegas opener.
What stands out just as much as the scoring is the way he’s playing. McMillian has shown patience and poise with the ball, and that’s no accident. After coming back from ankle surgery that wiped out his rookie summer league, he spent the entire season in Santa Cruz and averaged 5.1 assists per game while the G League staff worked to turn him into more of a floor general.
Summer league coach Khalid Robinson has noticed the carryover.
“The staff did a great job with teaching him how we want to play, with spacing, making good decisions, and he had a full season of doing that,” Robinson said. “I think he’s done a very good job of carrying over the things from Santa Cruz and the postseason into the summer.”
The opportunity is there for the taking. Pat Spencer is now in Phoenix, and Golden State still has open roster spots. That leaves McMillian in position to chase a two-way contract, or at the very least keep himself in Santa Cruz as a possible call-up option if the Warriors need one.
He’s also fitting into the way Golden State likes to operate. One of the staples in the playbook is running guards like McMillian off split cuts, with a frontcourt player making the pass as the guard flashes into space. Second-year center Lachlan Olbrich has been one of the guys feeding him, and the Australian big man has liked what he’s seen.
“He can score the ball at all three levels, and he’s an agile, quick guy,” Olbrich told the Bay Area News Group.
McMillian says he still sees himself as a point guard at this level, and he talks about his improved handle like it’s a set of tricks he’s been keeping tucked away. Even so, he knows what gives him the best path to sticking.
“My biggest asset is shooting, so I will definitely play to my strengths,” McMillian said.
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