PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are in the process of trying to work two separate timelines at the moment. They have to try and win and climb up the standings in the Eastern Conference, but they also have to find a way to get Jared McCain up to speed.
That second part is going to continue to be a process. McCain missed nearly a full year of basketball due to a torn meniscus in his left knee and then a torn UCL in his right thumb that kept him sidelined for so long. He returned on Nov. 4 and played three games before being sent down to the G League. Since his short stint with Delaware, he has been much better and he had 15 points on 3-for-4 shooting from deep in a loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday.
“I think the biggest thing is the 3-balls for me,” coach Nick Nurse said after the loss. “I know I keep saying that, but we do need that production from him, and he found some of those as well. I think it’s great that he gets up to 25. I mean, especially with VJ (Edgecombe) not playing, we definitely needed to fill those minutes. I think between Jared and (Trendon) Watford, those guys filled those up pretty good.”
McCain was able to get downhill and into the teeth of the Heat defense. That is a big step forward for him compared to his first NBA stint before heading down to be with the Blue Coats. The Sixers will continue to look forward to him making those strides.
“It looks like he got like a step back, but he’s feeling good,” added Dominick Barlow. “He’s feeling confident. He’s starting to really get the ball downhill and create his own shot. I mean, it’s great to see.”
The Sixers are focused on their guards. They have multiple players who can dribble the ball, knock down open shots, and get downhill. McCain is expected to be one of them. He has to be able to get his wind back and get his rhythm back in an effort to contribute on the floor for this group.
“Just adding another player like that can create for us,” Barlow added. “Attack different advantages and create open shots for others, is like—that’s what we need.”
Quentin Grimes, who didn’t get the chance to play with McCain after being acquired at the deadline in the 2024-25 season, is impressed with his young teammate. It takes a lot for McCain to work his way back into things, but Grimes is seeing the vision with him on the floor.
“Just another playmaker,” Grimes explained. “We can both play on the ball, we can both play off the ball, two shooters, so that gives us a lot of space out there on the court to drive and attack and make plays for ourselves, our teammates first. So we’re sure to have that guy. Teams got to respect him on the offensive end, if makes it easier for all of us to go out there and just drive and make plays.”
The Sixers will look to McCain to take another step forward on Tuesday when they play host to the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup.