Editor’s note: The Chronicle is reviewing the season of each player after the Warriors’ second straight championship run.

Anyone who still knows JaVale McGee only for his numerous appearances on “Shaqtin’ a Fool,” a weekly bloopers segment during TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” hasn’t been paying attention.

During his two seasons with the Warriors, McGee has done more than resuscitate his career and win two NBA titles. He has gone from punch line to quintessential professional.

Much of this past season, when playing time was elusive, McGee stayed late after practice for games of 3-on-3, worked on defending guards and forwards, and trusted that his patience would be rewarded with more minutes. After his only action in the seven-game Western Conference finals against Houston came in garbage time of a 41-point win, he stayed ready, playing a key role in Golden State’s NBA Finals sweep of Cleveland.

In Game 2, McGee went 6-for-6 from the field on five dunks and a hook shot. Three nights later, he did more of the same in Game 3, needing only 14 minutes to chip in 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting.

More Information JaVale McGee bio Age: 30 Position: Center Ht./Wt.: 7-0, 270 pounds Hometown: Flint, Mich. College: Nevada Years pro: 10 2017-18 averages: 4.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 9.5 minutes per game Contract status: McGee will become a restricted free agent on July 1. McCaw offer The Warriors have extended a qualifying offer of $1.7 million to Patrick McCaw, making the guard a restricted free agent. Golden State has the right to match any offer McCaw receives from other teams. The question, of course, is what kind of deal he will command. McCaw, 22, is coming off a disappointing season that included a scary spine injury that sidelined him nearly two months. In 57 regular-season games, he averaged 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists. But thanks to his age, length, versatility and upside, McCaw should warrant interest from other teams. The Warriors might have to make a difficult decision should another franchise offer McCaw significantly more than Golden State’s qualifying offer. — Connor Letourneau

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It was further validation that the Warriors made the right decision not trading him at the deadline. Even as the league trends toward small-ball lineups, the 7-foot, 270-pound McGee has value as an instant-energy big man. His ability to run the floor and throw down alley-oops offers a necessary jolt of energy to a Golden State team prone to complacency.

However, it wasn’t long ago that many Warriors fans were calling for McGee to be dealt.

For the first several months of the season, his shaky perimeter defense overshadowed his penchant for hammering home dunks and swatting shots. In a 19-game span from late December to late January, McGee logged 12 DNPs, only topping the seven-minute mark twice.

With teams emphasizing a position-less style of basketball, his skill set was more niche than necessity. Steve Kerr suddenly didn’t have room in the regular rotation for two traditional centers, and he preferred the 6-foot-11 Zaza Pachulia, a master at freeing up shooters for open looks with his textbook screens.

Still, McGee intrigued teams in need of another old-school big man. The Chronicle confirmed in late December that Golden State was open to trading him. The Athletic reported that Milwaukee, which counted center as the weak point of a lineup that boasts Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe, had discussed trading for McGee.

The deadline passed without the Warriors making a move. While poring over numbers during the All-Star break, Golden State manager of basketball analytics Sammy Gelfand found that, despite having the same starting lineup, the team’s defensive rating in the first five minutes was significantly worse than it was in 2016-17.

Such data prompted Kerr to make a rare midseason rotation switch, supplanting Pachulia in the first unit with McGee.

It didn’t take long for Kerr to start changing his starting center based on matchups. In limited playing time, McGee set an aggressive tone on both ends. His per-36-minute averages this past season — 18.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.3 blocks — suggested that he made the most of his cameos.

Regardless of where McGee plays next season, this much is certain: He has shed his reputation as one of the league’s biggest jokes.

Offseason outlook: McGee, who will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has said that he’d love to return to Golden State. The question is whether the Warriors are willing to bring him back.

Given how the league is trending, Golden State probably doesn’t need more than one or two prototypical centers. And any minutes McGee gets are minutes that won’t be used developing Damian Jones, who is finally ready for a shot at the rotation after two seasons in the G League.

Still, few could fault the Warriors for re-signing a player with McGee’s physical tools to a one-year, minimum contract.

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron