Getty
Jared McCain newly acquired guard by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It hasn’t taken long for Jared McCain to shine for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Since landing with the team ahead of the trade deadline, McCain has earned an immediate rotational spot with the defending NBA champions.
During the Thunder’s February 25 game against the Detroit Pistons, the Thunder made a shocking decision to roll out McCain in the starting lineup. He didn’t get the starting nod for the night, but was ruled out in the second half.
Why Did Jared McCain Pick Up The Start?
GettyJared McCain had the chance to start for the OKC Thunder during the second half of Wednesday’s game against the Pistons.
The Thunder are very shorthanded. Heading into the night, they missed multiple guards.
Alex Caruso (ankle sprain), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain), Aajy Mitchell (ankle sprain), and Jalen Williams (hamstring strain), were all ruled out for the game ahead of time.
Isaiah Joe got the start for the Thunder against the Pistons, while McCain resumed his role off the bench. In the second half, roles didn’t necessarily reverse. Joe was ruled out for the remainder of the game. The veteran guard was ruled out due to a glute injury.
Joe checked out of the game after seeing the court for 14 minutes of action.
During that time, the Thunder guard struggled with his shot, going 1-5 from the field. All of his attempts were from beyond the arc. Joe scored just three points while producing two rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Jared McCain Can Continue To Impress
GettyThe OKC Thunder acquired Jared McCain in early February, landing a rising star guard from the Philadelphia 76ers in the trade market.
Similar to Joe, McCain was having a tough night against the Pistons. After Joe was ruled out officially, McCain was just 1-7 from the field, going 0-4 from deep.
While McCain is having a slow night against the Pistons, he’s had a strong run with the Thunder since making his debut on February 7 against the Houston Rockets.
With 13 minutes of action, McCain scored five points on 33 percent shooting. By the time he reached his third game, the young rising star collected over 22 minutes of action off the bench. Over the next five games, McCain averaged 19 minutes on the court.
The second-year guard has knocked down 48 percent of his shots from the field and is hitting 47 percent of his threes on 3.8 attempts per game. He is posting averages of 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals.
McCain started the 2025-2026 NBA season recovering from a knee and hand injury with the Philadelphia 76ers. While he looked like a star in the making with Philadelphia, the Sixers cut ties with the former first-round pick ahead of the trade deadline.
Admittedly, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey hoped to land another player by flipping the assets the team acquired for the young standout McCain. Instead, the Sixers didn’t bring in anybody ahead of the deadline.
With a fresh start in OKC, McCain will be playing a big role, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.
Justin Grasso Justin Grasso is an NBA reporter, covering trending league news, transactions, injuries, and player developments. He is a credentialed journalist with nearly a decade of insider access. More about Justin Grasso
More Heavy on Thunder
Loading more stories