CAMDEN, N.J. — It has been a tough second season for Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain. As he continues to work his way back from a torn meniscus in his left knee that ended his rookie season after just 23 games as well as UCL tear in his right thumb that he suffered in September, his role has been a bit different.
With everybody back from injury, McCain has been on the outside looking in at the rotation. He only played five minutes against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 9 followed by nine minutes against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 11 and six minutes in the rematch with the Raptors on Jan. 12. He played 10 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and is averaging 6.3 points while shooting 32.3% from deep on the season.
Coach Nick Nurse has been consistent in his messaging all season when regarding McCain. He was off for nearly a full year after the meniscus injury and the injury in his thumb hasn’t helped, but he also needs the necessary court time to get himself going again. One has to wonder if another trip to the G League could be in the cards for him as there are players in front of him on the depth chart at the moment.
“No, there hasn’t, as of right now, but I think that’s always a possible consideration,” Nurse said at practice on Thursday. “I mean, as of today, I was pretty focused in on fixing last night and all that stuff and getting all the film prepared. We might have some meetings later on, today or tomorrow, and I think it’s always a possibility, but we haven’t had those yet–those discussions yet.”
McCain was taking the league by storm in his rookie season as he was shooting 38.3% from deep and averaging 15.3 points. He even finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting despite playing so little due to the injury. At his best, he is a dynamic offensive player and the Sixers have to hope that he can turn this around and continue to grow in the right direction.
