The Sixers are only 2-11 and find themselves dead last in the whole NBA.
They rank last in points, FG%, defensive rebounds, and assists and second to last in steals and total rebounds. Not good at all.
Though things look very bleak, we do have one bright spot and one single reason to watch games right now: Jared McCain.
The Sixers may have found a star in the making with the 16th pick in this year’s draft.
Crazy Scoring, Crazy Efficiency
McCain started slow, but after a few games, he found his groove. He averages 15.2 points per game and has notched 4 20-point games and 1 30-point game. All other rookies have 8 20-point games combined and not one 30-point game. This kind of offensive production does not come from rookies very often. If he continues on this tear, he will contribute heavily to this team and give them a real chance down the road.
Along with the 15.2 points, he shoots a ridiculously efficient 40.8% from 3 and a 57.4% eFG. He ranks third in efficiency among rookies and first in rookie guards. It takes a very skilled shot selection and a ton of confidence for a 20-year-old kid to come into the league and shoot like this. Maybe his TikTok talents prepared him for the bright lights of the NBA.
Elite Relocation
In the NBA, relocating yourself is an underrated and undervalued skill. Veteran players usually learn to develop it after a few seasons, but it still takes a lot of energy. Rarely do we see a rookie come in and use his quickness and athleticism to run all over the court for open shots.
Relocation is valuable because it wears down a defense and causes miscommunication. Teams have to seriously gameplan for quick players who find and knock down open shots. Not that McCain is anywhere near Steph Curry yet, but Steph uses this strategy very well in his game. He can dribble around defenders very well, but he can also shake them off with his off-ball movements. This wears down defenses and helps him create space.
As I said, McCain is no Curry, but he already possesses this trait. In the play below, he leads a fastbreak and goes for a layup. The defense crashes in on him, so he loops a pass to the corner and instantly sprints for a wing 3, where Paul George hits him back for a wide-open shot. He then drains it with no hesitancy.
This type of offense will always generate points if shooters knock down their shots.
Hopefully, He Can Sustain This
It’s not an overreaction to say that he has played at an elite level, but it has only been a short stretch of games.
He has a lot to do to prove himself a consistent threat, but if he can sustain this success and improve in other areas, he will be in the league for a very long time.
Many rookies can flash for a little while.
The rookie wall is real, so can he keep this going all season?
At Duke, McCain started the season slow and got better throughout. Doing that this season will tremendously improve the teams’ chances of doing damage in the playoffs.
He’s a tremendous player. There’s a reason he’s leading the odds for ROTY at +125.
PHOTO: Sam Navarro/Imagn Images
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