It’s not all doom and gloom for the 76ers, who dropped to 2-11 on Monday courtesy of a 106-89 road loss to the Heat.
Rookie guard Jared McCain has been lighting it up, scoring at least 20 points in each of his last five games. With five 20-plus games in the young season, McCain already has more such outings than all other lottery picks combined from the 2024 NBA Draft.
And mind you, McCain (21.3) is ninth in minutes among all rookies and only started getting consistent playing time following Tyrese Maxey’s injury. To the Duke alum’s credit, he seized his opportunity when entrusted as one of the starting guards by coach Nick Nurse and has made steady strides with each passing game.
McCain is averaging 0.91 points per minute as a starter, which ranks higher than the league’s greatest-ever scorers, per StatMuse.
His ability to score quick buckets was also on display during his freshman stint at Duke, making him one of the most efficient shooters entering the draft. However, some analysts raised concerns about his weak frame adjusting to NBA-level physicality, causing him to fall to the Sixers at No. 16 in the NBA Draft. That’s precisely why it was originally assumed that McCain would spend parts of his rookie campaign in the G League or play sparingly for a veteran Sixers team with lofty championship aspirations.
Instead, McCain has arrived ahead of schedule — a huge win for a 76ers franchise off to its worst start in eight seasons.
With Maxey estimated to return for Wednesday’s game in Memphis, McCain will likely come off the bench again. Eventually, though, the Sixers have an exciting backcourt pairing of McCain, 20, and Maxey, 24, to build the franchise around. While the latter is already an All-Star, McCain has shown flashes of a star in his limited opportunities.
McCain leads all rookies in points (15.2) and 3PM (2.2 per game) through the first 13 games of the season. If he can keep at his pace, it’s hard to foresee him not being crowned Rookie of the Year. Ben Simmons, in 2018, was the last Sixer to win the award.
