Jared McCain is looking less like a rookie and more like a critical rotation piece with each passing game.
Daryl Morey is an executive who typically swings on upside in the draft, even when fielding a contender.
He took Tyrese Maxey over a bunch of more experienced players in 2020. Same with Jaden Springer, the youngest player selected in 2021.
Suffice it to say one of those worked out better than the other.
When the Sixers were on the clock for the 2024 NBA Draft, Morey had options with the 16th pick. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, considered by many to be the most plug-and-play guy in the draft, had fallen down the board. Morey could’ve looked to move the pick like he did when he traded his first-rounder to the Memphis Grizzlies for De’Anthony Melton in 2022. (Morey even referenced an “interesting player” that was offered on draft night for No. 16.)
Instead, he took 20-year-old guard Jared McCain out of Duke. It’s only been nine games, but that’s already starting to look like a masterstroke.
McCain was the Sixers’ best player in a desperately needed 107-105 overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. He poured in a team-high 27 points and essentially carried the offense throughout the second half.
“He can create, he can get by people and he’s got an array of finishes,” head coach Nick Nurse said, “and he certainly plays with a lot of confidence and he just kept it going tonight.”
Crunch time offense running through a rookie with guys like Paul George and Kyle Lowry on the floor?
“Luckily Jared McCain is on Year 5 already,” George said. “He’s confident.”
That confidence and fearlessness have been paramount in McCain’s early success.
“To have Kyle Lowry and Paul George trust me in those moments,” he said, “what kid wouldn’t want to do that and be in those moments?”
McCain has now recorded three of the top eight scoring performances for NBA rookies this season. In a Rookie of the Year race that feels wide open, he’s fourth among rookies averaging 10.2 points per game. His 27 points Sunday were the second-highest total for a first-year player.
After understandably scuffling offensively a little in his first four games, McCain has been excellent over his last five games, averaging 14.4 points on 47.4/40/100 shooting splits. He’s showing that he’s a three-level scorer, not simply a sharpshooter.
“Just slowing down,” McCain said. “When I come off a screen, showing shot always because that’s my biggest threat. And then, if I’m able to pull out the big or get the defender on my side, I know I’ve got ‘em. I can either get to the mid-range or finish at the rim. And I work on these layups — the same foot, same hand layups — all the time. So just trust my work.”
If you didn’t know McCain said that, who on the Sixers do you think would’ve delivered that quote? Give you a hint: he also smiles a whole lot.
It wasn’t a perfect night for McCain. The Sixers had blown a 16-point lead and were clinging to a three-point advantage with 10 seconds left. Charlotte inbounded the ball to the corner to LaMelo Ball. McCain was late closing out and the former All-Star guard nailed a difficult turnaround three to send the game to overtime.
“It’s just the worst feeling when you know you kind of messed up,” McCain said. “You skipped a step and then he has an open step on you.”
Credit to the youngster. He didn’t sulk or pout. He made a big basket in overtime and came up with an even bigger stop on Ball.
H/t to @dan_olinger for giving this defensive stand from Jared McCain proper spotlight. Wanted to zoom in a little bit.
Watch how quickly McCain eats up space on the step-back, with hands up. Forces LaMelo to turn away from the floor. Play is dead 2 secs before clock expires. pic.twitter.com/Zw2xn0SKUQ
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) November 11, 2024
Head coach Nick Nurse said postgame that while McCain still has plenty to learn on defense, he knows the rookie is willing and plays hard on that end.
Whether it’s making a big bucket or coming up with a key stop, it’s all gratifying for McCain as long as it leads to winning.
“For me, it’s just kind of being quiet,” he said. “Everything’s so loud around you, so just locking in on the ball and having a quiet mind. My psychologist calls it ‘Feel the dance.’ And I just kind of feel the flow, feel the dance. Just wanted to get a stop, really. That’s all I wanted.”
Like Tyrese Maxey, McCain is cordial and plays with joy. They also both want to rip their opponent’s heart out. Folks can talk about the TikTok videos and painted nails all they’d like, but McCain is a gritty player. He crashes the glass among the trees at 6-foot-3 and constantly dives on the floor for loose balls.
He was doing all those little things even when he wasn’t scoring early in the season. Now, just nine games into his NBA career, he’s being featured on offense.
“A lot of stuff so happens so fast,” McCain said. “You get sped up when you come off a screen. You want to go score, you want to make the right pass. But a lot of (times) it’s coming off the screen, making the right play, slowing down when I get in the paint. I love the mid-range; I work on it all the time. So getting to a bump fade, getting to a bump mid. So I’m just learning how I’m going to play in the NBA and hopefully, learning fast.”
The plug-and-play Knecht is not off to a blazing start but could very well turn out to be an excellent NBA player.
But through the early parts of the 2024-25 season, McCain isn’t simply showing his upside, he’s already helped the Sixers win a game — what they hope will be the first of many.