Let me know if you’ve heard this story before, Philadelphia 76ers fans: Jared McCain turned in a fantastic effort typically reserved for veteran NBA players only to watch his team take a loss when the clock hit quadruple zeros.
Unfortunately, this is becoming something of a trend for Philly’s finest, with only a two-point win over the Charlotte Hornets keeping the team’s losing streak from spreading nine games. What’s also becoming a trend is the effective play of McCain, who has recorded at least 23 points in the last four games, including a career-high of 34 points in 38 minutes of action in a 114-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
What gives? How are the Sixers still so bad when they have a rookie guard playing like a ten-year vet and a former MVP back on the court in Joel Embiid, even if he’s still on a minutes restriction? Is it the absence of Tyrese Maxey, who is the team’s leading scorer in 2024? Or maybe the coaching of Nick Nurse, which has been disappointing versus expectations?
That evaluation lies in the eyes of the beholder, but one thing is for sure: McCain’s play has 76ers fans as happy as the team’s overall record has them cheesed off.
Fans have mixed feelings on Jared McCain’s Philadelphia 76ers
Taking to social media to celebrate McCain for his on-field excellence, fans immediately started sharing highlights of the Duke rookie scoring on Jonathan Isaac, who is not only 6-foot-10 but also widely considered one of the best defenders in the NBA.
Despite his size, McCain is a savvy basketball technician with a deep bag of tricks and an eye for finding the opening. He’s also incredibly smart about getting open looks, to the point where, after he dumped the ball out to an open Paul George, he found an open spot and drained an uncontested 3 that needs to be seen to be believed.
Gosh, how did McCain fall to the 76ers in the draft at pick 16? Did other teams not believe that his shot would translate? Or did they instead prioritize bigger players, as the 76ers may end up starting two players standing 6-foot-2 when Maxey returns? Well, one of The Athletic’s draft guys, Senior Writer Sam Vecenie, discussed just that, noting that he, a certified McCain lover, might not have even given him enough love.
“I loved Jared McCain pre-draft, and I still don’t think I loved him enough,” Vecenie wrote on social media. “The offense is sick. Such a sharp player. The relocation stuff as a shooter is something I knew he was great at, and I still probably underrated how good he was at it. Just an awesome processor on-court.”
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And as for the evaluation of the 76ers as a whole? Well, this retweet pretty much sums it up.
On one hand, the 76ers have found two legitimate playoff rotation-caliber performers in McCain and Guerschon Yabusele, who very well may end up starting by the end of the regular season. They still have draft picks to trade, contracts that can be moved – shout out to KJ Martin – and enough urgency to make a deal where a team that fully owned their draft pick may opt to sell and reload for next season.
With that being said, are we even sure the 76ers will make the playoffs? Granted, they probably will, as there’s no way there are ten other better teams in the Easter Conference, but if they continue to lose, will this turn into a repeat of 2023-24, when they couldn’t make it out of the first round? Keep an eye on this one, folks, as it’s anyone’s guess how things will shake out.
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