Feb. 8, 2026, 10:01 a.m. CT
Checking in for the first time, Jared McCain received a loud ovation from the OKC crowd. In one of the weirder NBA trade deadlines that saw traditional sellers become buyers, the reigning NBA champions made one of the splashier moves among the West contenders with the buy-low move.
The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t duct-tape things together in their 112-106 loss to the Houston Rockets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence reared its ugly head when the offense broke down.
McCain finished with five points on 2-of-6 shooting, two rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-3 from 3.
Still figuring out the offense on the fly, McCain had to learn on the job. Such comes with the chaotic nature of the trade deadline. Mix that with some first-game nerves, and you have his early goof where the 21-year-old turned it over on a routine inbounds pass.
Eventually, McCain scored his first bucket with a pull-up jumper. He also swished in a second-chance look from deep. A plus-12 in 14 minutes suggests the Thunder probably should’ve played him a little more — especially considering how depleted OKC’s backcourt is.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
It’ll be fun to follow McCain’s journey through the final one-third of the regular season and beyond. While he finally suited up on Saturday, it’ll be interesting to see his fit alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Mitchell. All three are OKC’s primary ball-handlers, which suggests he could play a more off-ball role.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was impressed with McCain’s ability to improvise. The chaotic nature of the trade deadline forces guys who are moved to learn on the job. The coaching staff will need to figure out how to fit a new piece in their puzzle.
“He hasn’t been here for more than 48 hours, so that’s a really tough spot. I thought he did a really good job of just blending into the team and game. He was confident and aggressive, but not inappropriately,” Daigneault said about McCain. “He looked like he belonged out there in terms of the way we play. He did a nice job in obviously a challenging circumstance.”
Still figuring out how to map his new team, McCain has made a good first impression on his teammates. His relaxed personality makes it easy to mesh well with the current group of guys. There’s a reason why Tyrese Maxey was emotional when the deal went down. Chet Holmgren is excited to see how he can help their offense.
“I think he embraced it. He wasn’t afraid to make mistakes and I don’t really think he made any. He was in the right spots. He was aggressive and made the right play when the defense took his away,” Holmgren said about McCain. “I look forward to getting him out there more, building some more chemistry with him.”