March 5, 2026, 2:01 p.m. CT
Running some floppy action, Jared McCain received Jaylin Williams’ dribble handoff. He took one dribble before he settled for a deep left-wing outside jumper that rattled in.
The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away late in a 116-108 win over the Chicago Bulls. McCain finished with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 4-of-9 from 3. He also had two steals.
The rich keep getting richer. There were a lot of loud reactions involved when the Thunder acquired McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers. How could it happen? Why were the reigning NBA champions gifted a premier prospect? I felt like some of it was overblown. But oh my. Can’t say that right now, a month in.
McCain has been a perfect fit in OKC. Almost too perfect. After riding the bench to start the season, he’s completely taken advantage of his fresh start. The Thunder have needed a scorer with so many guys out this whole season. He’s gladly claimed plenty of vacated possessions for himself.
Since McCain joined the Thunder, he’s averaged 11.9 points on 47.7% shooting and 2.8 rebounds in 12 games. He’s shot 41.8% from 3 on 4.6 attempts. Desperately needing a microwave scorer off the bench, he’s seamlessly fit into that role.
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One person happy for him is Tyrese Maxey. The NBA All-Star player has blossomed into a 30-point scorer. He recently talked about McCain’s first month on the Thunder. The Sixers fanbase remains perplexed at best and angry at worst about the salary dump deal.
“I ain’t going to lie and say I don’t miss Jared. But I’m happy for him. I’m happy for him,” Maxey said. “I watch him in OKC and hope he does well every single night, except for when he plays us.”
Not exactly what you want to hear from your franchise player. The Sixers sent a message to their squad at the trade deadline. Just not the one you hope to hear — we don’t really believe in you to make a playoff run. And Philadelphia would rather shave off some of its high payroll than add more money to its group.
That’s a difficult message to chew on. Oh well. McCain is likely better off because of it. The Thunder are the reigning NBA champions. The 22-year-old has jumped on a legitimate title contender. And he could have a role in the long-term future as a bench piece part of their contending window.