ORLANDO, Fla. — Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain took the league by storm as a rookie in 2024-25 as he shot 38.3% from deep and dazzled with his array of finishes in the paint along with long-range marksmanship.
However, he then tore the meniscus in his left knee and had to miss the rest of the season after playing only 23 games. It has been a long recovery for McCain, but he was able to get back on the floor in November–11 months since his injury.
It has been a tough struggle for McCain as he is shooting only 31.9% from deep on the season. He has shot only 26.3% from deep over his last seven games as he has had trouble just trying to find that rhythm he is so desperately looking for. All of this can be mentally draining for anybody, but for McCain, he is staying level-headed as he believes his rhythm will come back sooner rather than later.
“I mean, you try and go back to figure out whatever is wrong or whatever, but sometimes you don’t got to change too much,” McCain said at shootaround in Orlando. “I mean, I’ve been doing this for so long that I still got to realize that I got to get back to what I feel. I feel great. I feel used to what I’m doing, but it definitely sucks. I think it’s all going to come back. You just got to continue to work at it and continue to write about it (in his journal) and learn about yourself.”
Everybody knows McCain can shoot the heck out of the ball. He was a terrific shooter in college while at Duke and he showed it at the NBA level as a rookie. It’s obvious that the injury has set him back a bit, but he is hopeful that his shot will return to him in the near future.
“I think it just goes with the season,” McCain added. “Like, trying to figure out how to come in and be warm and be ready to make a shot right away, of when I’m sitting on the bench, and I go out in the second quarter, and then got to come back to halftime, and get warm again. So just figuring it out. It’s a tough way to handle it, but I think I’m trying my best.”
With that being said, until his shot does return and he can get back to the McCain everybody knows he can be, he is focused on being a positive out on the floor. He has always been a team-first player and the Sixers will be looking to him to contribute in a positive way out on the floor.
“I think now it’s more just trying to affect the game,” McCain finished. “Just try to have a good plus-minus. That’s kind of the main thing is just like coming in the game, not trying to worry about making the shots, and just trying to, like, affect the game on the defensive end, and make sure the team is doing well when you’re in the game. Because the worst thing you want is when the team is doing bad. Last time was one of the first times I looked at a minus, plus-minus. So just trying to get back to that plus side and affecting the game in positive ways.”
