Jared McCain acted like he was going to pull up for the transition 3-pointer, but he passed up a good look for an even better one, finding Ajay Mitchell wide open in the corner.
Mitchell, repaying the selflessness, hot-potatoed the ball back to McCain, who splashed the third of his four 3-pointers in the Thunder’s Game 1 win against the Lakers.
After his final 3 of the night, McCain flashed his 3-point celebration hand sign to Thunder fans, many of whom mirrored it back to McCain.
A still shot of that moment circulated on social media. McCain’s brother shared it in the family group chat.
“I gotta get that framed,” said McCain, grinning ear to ear.
It was only three months ago that the Thunder acquired the second-year guard from the 76ers, but already McCain has become a fan favorite in Oklahoma City. And while he’s still getting his house in order, still “unpacking some random things that I found in the attic,” he already feels at home.
McCain grew up in Sacramento, moved to Greater Los Angeles in high school, and now the Cali kid is launching 3-pointers in playoff games against the Lakers.
“Obviously, you’ve got to stay focused on what’s at hand, but (at the same time) definitely take it in,” McCain said. “This is a really cool moment for myself and my family.”
McCain’s dad was a huge Lakers fan. And now?
“He’s probably got the most OKC gear I’ve ever seen,” McCain said.
McCain supported his hometown Kings, but more than identifying with any one team, he, like so many of his peers, was a Kobe Bryant guy. McCain wore Kobe’s No. 24 at Centennial High School in Corona, California, where as a junior and senior McCain was the state’s back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year.
McCain will have ample ticket requests when the West semifinal series shifts to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4.
“I might have to say no to a few,” McCain said.
After going one-and-done at Duke, the 76ers selected McCain with the 16th pick in the 2024 draft. He was playing at a Rookie of the Year level last season before suffering a torn meniscus. This season, dealing with more injuries, McCain fell out of favor in Philadelphia.
Sam Presti and the Thunder swooped in, acquiring McCain for a 2026 first-round pick (which conveyed at No. 22 via the Rockets), and three second-round picks.
Buying low on McCain was a savvy move. As the Thunder’s roster gets expensive, it’s helpful to have a guy with two years left on his rookie contract beyond this one. But contributing this much this soon? That’s been the real surprise.
McCain is the Thunder’s sharpest 3-point shooter this side of Isaiah Joe. McCain averaged 10.4 points in 18 minutes per game post-trade. He shot 39% from 3-point range with the Thunder in the regular season, and he’s off to a 5-of-10 start in the postseason — four of them coming in Game 1 against LA, when McCain played a playoff career-high 15 minutes.
Counting on trade-deadline acquisitions to contribute is never safe (Gordon Hayward, anyone?). The Thunder likens it to jumping onto a moving train, which McCain did without breaking stride.
“I just think there’s certain qualities a player has that resonate with this particular locker room,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Professionalism is one of them. Commitment to your craft is another one. Competitiveness, the willingness to compete and the willingness to play inside of the team. If you do those things on this team, you earn pretty immediate respect.”
Take, for example, the extra pass McCain made to Mitchell in Game 1.
“This team recognizes that,” Daigneault said, “and you’re part of the club pretty quickly.”
A part of the city, too. So much so that Thunder fans are already mimicking McCain’s 3-point celebration.
As for where he’ll put a framed photo of that moment?
“Maybe right next to my TV in the living room,” McCain said. “Or maybe right above my bed. That way when I wake up, I just look at that and it reminds me this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at [email protected]. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
