Joining in on Jaylin Williams’ usual practice banter, Jared McCain adjusted well to his first day of school. The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired the 21-year-old from the Philadelphia 76ers for a middling package of NBA draft picks.
Among all of the West contenders, the Thunder made the second-biggest splash — only being Minnesota’s addition of Ayo Dosunmu. The buy-low move gives OKC two-plus seasons of team control of someone who had a hot start to his career that was extinguished by injuries.
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The Thunder have badly needed another ball-handler. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell are a fine triumvirate, but injuries and inconsistent rotations have exposed how ugly OKC’s halfcourt offense can get when none of them are on the floor.
McCain should help with — both right now and in the long-term future. He talked about his thoughts on OKC before he was dealt there. He reflected on his predraft workout with the Thunder. He was the No. 16 pick of the 2024 NBA draft.
“I remember a little bit from a predraft workout. Just excited about new beginnings for me,” McCain said. “Just trying to take everything in and try to be present. It’s a lot, but trying to be excited to.”
It’ll be quite the change for McCain. To go from an up-and-coming Sixers squad to the reigning NBA champion that’s viewed as the favorite to go back-to-back is quite the jump in expectations and role. Regardless of the current uncertainty, he’s excited for a fresh start — even if it happened sooner than he expected in his NBA journey.
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“Just the culture and structure. It operates like what I felt like when I was at Duke. It kinda felt like the same way in terms of that culture,” McCain said. “That’s why I was able to come here for a predraft workout. I’m just excited because I think I’ll fit in perfectly.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Jared McCain offers first impressions of joining OKC Thunder