The Philadelphia 76ers got themselves a steal in the 2024 NBA draft when they landed Duke guard Jared McCain with the No. 16 overall pick. The 6-foot-3 guard was showing off his full arsenal as he was in the running for Rookie of the Year before suffering a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee.
In 23 games as a rookie, McCain was terrific averaging 15.3 points and shooting 38.3% from deep. He had scoring games of 34 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 29 against the Orlando Magic, and back-to-back 20-plus point games against the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies. He was impressive as a first-year player.
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Sam Vecenie of The Athletic put together a re-draft of 2024 with McCain being selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets:
McCain only got to do it for about a month while the 76ers were dealing with injuries, but no player flashed more upside as an offensive weapon last season than him. From Nov. 8 until Dec. 4, he averaged 21.7 points, three rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the line in 13 games. And these were games at the beginning of the season when teams were still highly competitive, as opposed to some of the late-season runs we saw after a large portion of teams were out of contention.
We know he will likely develop into one of the NBA’s truly elite shooters, with pristine mechanics and superb touch. However, his ability to create and attack for himself stood out and gave him what looks to be serious upside long term.
As the Sixers prepare for the 2025-26 season, the focus will be on getting everybody healthy and on the floor together. As long as Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey are on the floor, then they will certainly have a chance. The health of McCain will be a factor for Philadelphia as well due to his offensive ability.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers guard Jared McCain goes No. 3 overall in 2024 NBA re-draft