Sixers rookie Jared McCain continues to flourish fearlessly: ‘there’s no reason why I should be scared’

Sixers rookie Jared McCain notched his second straight 20-plus-point game on Tuesday night. It’s the beginning of a pattern of success for the young guard that comes from a combination of ability, confidence, and fearlessness.

Your average 20-year-old NBA rookie, fresh out of college and suddenly playing against the biggest and best in the league, probably is hoping to avoid having to go toe-to-toe with a defensive powerhouse like OG Anunoby.

But Jared McCain is not your average 20-year-old NBA rookie. The Sixers’ first-round pick from the 2024 draft playing in just his tenth NBA outing found himself, ball in hand, charging into the paint—with 6-foot-7 Anunoby (and his 7-foot-5 wingspan) between McCain and the rim.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” McCain said with a laugh postgame Tuesday night. “Once I get the ball in the 1-2 step, I’m like ‘I either have to commit to this or it’s gonna just be a weak lay-up’.”

And commit, he did. Using every ounce of strength and athleticism in his 6-foot-2, sub-200 pound frame, McCain lifted the ball high in his right hand and went airborne to attempt the monster jam over Anunoby.

The slam didn’t fall but McCain was fouled on the play and sank both his free throws. But the end result of this one being two points from the line instead of a successful jam is far from the point. What matters is that this moment was the perfect encapsulation on what everyone surrounding McCain has said with respect to the young guard: he is fearless and it feeds his success.

“He just continues to be a real, real bright spot. Threat from three, which we obviously need. Offense creation on his own, which we obviously need. And he competes,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s not afraid out there and he’s been playing really well. Really big bright spot.”

Among rookies, McCain is second at 11.5 points per game, just a fraction of a point behind the Atlanta Hawks’ first-year forward Zaccharie Risacher, who’s averaging 11.7 points per game but is also playing about 10 minutes more per game than McCain thus far. McCain has scored 18-plus points in each of the Sixers’ last three games and 20-plus points in the last two.

His career and this season is in its infancy, of course, but it’s enough to turn heads of even the league veterans playing beside him.

“I think just a level of (being) fearless. He’s relentless, he’s confident. You don’t see a lot of these qualities in rookies that come in and are just ready. It’s impressive,” Paul George said of McCain. “He gives a ton of energy on both ends. He plays extremely hard, he’s willing to do dirty work, stick his nose in there. He’s trying to keep possessions alive. He’s shooting when he’s open. He’s attacking. He’s doing everything that you can. And, to be honest, he’s been a light in all of this, coming off the bench and giving us a spark. So it’s great, I know especially for Nick, to have someone so young be reliable in that aspect.”

Reliable may be underselling it a bit, even. McCain has earned every minute that Nurse has given him to start this season, and he uses every single one of those minutes to earn even more.

Last night, in addition to the dunk attempt over OG, was the perfect example of his confidence, resilience and fundamental basketball skills. The first half of the game wasn’t the major scoring success that McCain had in the second half, with not everything falling for him shooting-wise, but he stayed aggressive and engaged in the game without forcing anything. Whether it was battling for an offensive rebound against three New York Knicks players…

Or working off the Joel Embiid dribble hand-off to get into the paint for a jumper…

Instead of getting down about his shooting line, McCain stays levelheaded and productive in the game, contributing any way he can until those looks to score present themselves. On Tuesday versus the Knicks, he did just that until midway through the third period when the floodgates opened for him. From then until the end of the game, McCain was creating space off screens or using his own footwork, driving without hesitation but with full body control into the paint, and sinking a few triples to try to keep the Sixers in the game late. It didn’t matter how he had shot earlier in the game or who was on defense in front of him now, nothing scared him away.

This is a player in just his tenth game in the NBA—only his first game alongside Embiid, who already seems to be developing a comfortable two-man game with the rookie, and just a few weeks into getting to learn how to hone his craft alongside fellow young guard Tyrese Maxey. He is showing the skills, maturity, confidence and fearlessness needed to have success and continue to develop in this league, all before he even turns 21.

“I think it just comes from my parents instilling in me to always be myself. I think when you’re confident in yourself — how you walk around, how you act … there’s a lot of stuff on social media, of course, that happens,” McCain explained. “I think when you get used to that and you’re always confident in yourself off the court, it just comes out on the court.

“And I work too hard to not be confident in myself, so there’s no reason why I should be scared.”