It seems like the only thing the Philadelphia 76ers can get right is the draft. How those players turn out is another story, but they usually get it right on Draft Night. And Jared McCain is the latest example of this.
On Nov. 14, Jared McCain had the best game of his young NBA career and the best game a rookie has had this season. Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all sat out Nov. 13 due to various injuries, which has forced McCain into the rotation much earlier than expected. To say he has played well would be an understatement, and he saved his best performance for the best team in the entire NBA.
In a matchup against the last undefeated team in the NBA — the Cleveland Cavaliers — McCain got in his duffle bag. He finished with 34 points and 10 assists., shooting 12-of-26 from the field and 6-of-13 from three. He showed up and showed out in his first NBA start, proving to the Sixers that is where he belongs, even when Maxey and George return to the lineup. He has also earned himself a new designation: Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
The 2024 NBA rookie class has widely been considered one of the weaker drafts in a very long time. There was no defined superstar talent heading into the draft, which is probably why the Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher as the first pick. Nobody really left their mark in college like previous number-one overalls like Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson or even Cade Cunningham. Risacher was the best international prospect, which is why he went number one, but he wasn’t regarded as highly as last year’s number one overall pick, Victor Wembanyama. So most general managers headed into the draft looking for team fit instead of the best overall. Apparently, there was a gem hidden in the rough this whole time.
If you’ve followed McCain’s journey from high school, you would know he was considered an elite prospect — really super elite. He was the 10 best player in his ESPN recruiting class, the second best player in the state of California and the second best guard of the entire 2023 recruiting class. All his high school success led him to commit to Duke, and everybody expected him to become a star there.
It didn’t turn out like that.
He struggled for most of his lone college season at Duke University. He was in and out of the starting lineup, and many people suspected that he was overhyped. He showed some flashes during March Madness last year, including his best game of the year, which was a 32-point, six-rebound game in which he knocked down five threes. That was what people expected to see all season long, not in a losing effort in his final game of the tournament.
Fast forward nine months later, and he is now a Sixer, displaying everything that Duke wanted to see from him and what the general public expected from him since his high school days at Centennial High. It seems to all be clicking for McCain, and it will probably cause every other franchise in the NBA fits knowing they let this kid drop to Philadelphia at 16. The Sixers, on the other hand, are elated, as it looks like they found the perfect partner for Maxey in the backcourt. They didn’t know it when they drafted him in June, but they without a doubt know it now.
Better late than never, right?
