Sixers Bell Ringer: The Jared McCain Game

The Sixers squandered a 16-point lead, but rookie Jared McCain and newcomer Guerschon Yabusele led them to a wild OT win over the Hornets.

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 2
Jared McCain – 2
Guerschon Yabusele – 2
Paul George – 1
Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

Don’t look now, but the Sixers might have a Rookie of the Year candidate on their hands.

Jared McCain dropped a rookie career-high 27 points Sunday and helped carry the Sixers to their second win of the season, a wild overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center.

Coming back from a winless West Coast swing — and still woefully shorthanded — it was no surprise to see the Sixers come out slow. The Hornets joined them as neither team could find much offense. The home team took the opening quarter 16-15 (no, that is not a typo).

The Sixers had a little more juice in the second quarter thanks in part to Jeff Dowtin, Jr., who got the nod as the team’s backup point guard over veteran Reggie Jackson. Dowtin had nine points at the half as the Sixers held a narrow 46-45 lead at the break.

Nick Nurse made the decision to start Guerschon Yabusele over Andre Drummond to start the second half. The Frenchman immediately made that decision pay off, dropping 12 points in the quarter. That’s also when McCain got going, pouring in 10 third-quarter points.

The Sixers would build the lead to as large as 16 — and then disaster struck. LaMelo Ball led a furious comeback, scoring 16 points in the fourth, including a difficult game-tying corner three with eight seconds left. Paul George did not get a very good shot off and the game went to overtime.

Because of a minutes restriction, George did not play in the overtime. Luckily for the Sixers, they were able to squeak out the win behind a couple big buckets from Yabusele and McCain.

Up next for the Sixers, the return of Joel Embiid and their first Emirates NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks Tuesday. For now, let’s talk Bell Ringer.

Jared McCain: 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The kid can play.

McCain had a quiet first half, scoring just four points and only taking three shots.

It’s not hyperbolic to say he took the game over to close the third quarter. He scored 10 points and ended the frame with one of his patented scoop layups and a confident transition three.

In the fourth, Nurse was calling his number. A 20-year-old rookie with future Hall of Famers Kyle Lowry and Paul George on the floor was bailing out a stagnated Sixers offense.

He made one of the Sixers’ only two field goals in the overtime period, blowing by Grant Williams on a switch.

Just nine games into his NBA career, McCain is proving to be an effective three-level scorer. He’s getting downhill and using his craftiness to finish at the rim, he’s effective off the dribble in the midrange, and after a slow start, he’s getting going from deep.

He finished the night with 27 points on 10-of-18 from the field and 3-of-8 from three. McCain now has three of the top eight rookie scoring performances in the NBA this season.

Full disclosure: I’m planning to write a piece on McCain for the site tomorrow so I want to save some bullets for that.

Guerschon Yabusele: 20 points, 8 rebounds

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Yabusele is quickly going from a nice story to an indispensable part of the Sixers’ rotation.

Through the first eight games, Yabusele has severely outplayed Drummond at the five. That trend continued Sunday. The Sixers were a +12 with Yabusele on the court and a -10 with Drummond.

Both big men played decently for most of the first half. It was at the end of the second quarter when Charlotte went small with Grant Williams at the five that Drummond started to struggle. Even the staunchest of Drummond supporters know that he struggles when forced to guard in space. The Ball-Williams pick-and-roll put him in a bind.

That’s why Nurse started the second half with Yabusele at center. The move paid immediate dividends as Yabusele worked well with George to find cracks in the Hornets’ defense. George had nine assists on the night and Yabusele was frequently on the receiving end. The Dancing Bear had 12 points in the third.

He continues to shoot it well, going 2-of-4 from deep.

Yabusele scored the Sixers’ only other field goal in OT on a nice post move. He recorded 20 points and eight rebounds in a little over 30 minutes.

With Embiid returning Tuesday, Yabusele will surely see time at the four. He has to. He’s been too damn good to leave on the bench.

Paul George: 15 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Can you give a guy Bell Ringer for simply existing on the court?

No, you obviously can’t, but it’s crazy how George’s mere presence makes everything easier for everyone else. George is still looking for his shooting stroke as he went 1-of-9 from three, but the nine assists were big. George’s gravity alone makes the Sixers’ offense better. It will be real neat when we get to see him play alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.