The Sixers might’ve found the steal of the draft in Jared McCain. The rookie’s hot start could change everything for the team — including their starting lineup.
Daryl Morey was gushing over Jared McCain on draft night. A few months later, Nick Nurse sang the rookie’s praises in the Bahamas. Joel Embiid went a step further, claiming the guard was the team’s best player during training camp.
Just 11 games into this NBA career, we’re starting to run out of superlatives to describe McCain. He’s been everything the Sixers could’ve dreamed of and then some when they selected him 16th overall out of Duke.
McCain poured in 34 points, the highest total for any rookie this season, against the team with the best record in the NBA. Though the Sixers lost to the undefeated Cavaliers, they gave Cleveland all they can handle thanks in large part to their star rookie.
It got to a point Wednesday where the Cavs shifted their entire defensive gameplan to slow McCain down. Nurse, who can surely appreciate an opponent deploying exotic defenses, noticed the extra attention.
“They even threw one possession of box-and-one on him there, which was pretty interesting,” Nurse said. “I was thinking, ‘Man, that’s pretty high-level respect to throw that on a rookie.’”
Indeed.
But as we’re all quickly learning, this is no ordinary rookie.
Donovan Mitchell, a five-time All-Star who came alive late after a cold shooting start Wednesday, is one of the latest to take note.
“I can’t say exactly what [Mitchell] said … but good stuff,” McCain said. “It’s just cool for people I’ve admired for a long time to say stuff about me and just be positive about me.”
It’s impossible for the conversation around McCain to be negative.
Over his last four games, McCain is averaging 25.5 points on 45.5/42.5/100 shooting splits. He’s now averaging 13.5 points per game, easily leading all first-year players. His 38.5% mark from three is the highest amongst rookies taking at least two attempts per game. He’s scoring proficiently from all three levels.
All that scoring would be great in itself, but in adjusting to the Cavs’ gameplan to slow him down, McCain showed off his playmaking chops. He recorded 10 assists — also the most recorded by a rookie this season — giving him his first NBA double-double.
As impressive as McCain’s talents are, his brain is just as big of an asset. He’s a maniacal worker, both physically and mentally.
“Watching film, meditation, visualization, recovery, reading, it all helps me become a better basketball player,” he said. “I’ve started that since high school. I’ve been in love with the mental side and I think that’s helped me be as confident as I am, and confident I can do a social media TikTok dance and still come out and play as well as I can. I think I just attribute that to my mental side.”
Funny, we don’t hear or see too many grown men whining over McCain’s TikTok videos and nail painting anymore. The discussion has shifted to whether or not the 20-year-old should get a crack at being a starter when the team is healthy.
There are obvious concerns with pairing McCain and Tyrese Maxey with both players listed at 6-foot-2. Huh, are there any examples of a small backcourt working in today’s NBA? Glad you asked! Cleveland’s backcourt features the 6-foot-3 Mitchell and 6-foot-1 Darius Garland. The Cavs are just the sixth team in NBA history to start a season 13-0. So yeah, you could say it’s working.
There will be things to sort, especially defensively, but a Maxey-McCain pairing might simply be too good to not use. Consider McCain’s numbers per 36 minutes: 25.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.5 made threes on 9.0 attempts. Sure, a trio of superstars will cause those numbers to drop but think about what McCain brings to the table as a shooter, creator and flat-out bucker-getter. It’s exactly the type of player this team could use.
Nurse is here for a reason. He’s an outside-the-box thinker and he hasn’t been afraid to play small backcourts in the past. He frequently used a pair of 6-footers together in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet with the Raptors.
“Listen, I think he’s certainly played his way right into the whole mix for sure,” Nurse said. “Obviously, he responded well to his first start. He’s got to be a candidate, playing this well, to get into that lineup.”
McCain can play. Not only that, he’s as driven as any player you’ll come across. He has the humility to appreciate a player like Mitchell complimenting him, but also the competitiveness to go right at him.
And don’t think for a second that the current Rookie of the Year favorite has forgotten that so many teams passed on him on draft night.
“[I’d] be lying if [I said] I believe there’s 15 guys better than me,” he said. “To have that confidence, you have to go in the NBA and think I’m the best player on the court every time I step on the court. Even if it’s Donovan Mitchell, I’ve got to believe I’m the best player because there’s no way I’m going to play well if I don’t.
“In this draft, I’ve definitely got my eye on people that I want to play. I just always play with a chip on my shoulder, no matter what it is.”
Morey was right. So were Nurse and Embiid.
In the search for more superlatives, let’s put it simply: Jared McCain has the goods.