Jared McCain was starting to turn heads with impressive play in his rookie season for the Philadelphia 76ers when it all came to an early and abrupt end for 2024 first-round draft pick.
Nothing better encapsulated the word “bittersweet” this Philadelphia 76ers’ season quite like the beginning of Jared McCain’s NBA career.
From the highest highs to the lowest lows, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 draft had an absolute rollercoaster of an opening campaign. With injuries piling up across the Sixers’ roster before the season even got underway, McCain was given opportunity early to get experience on an NBA floor, and he took full advantage.
Within the first 10 games of Philadelphia’s 2024-25 season, the rookie out of Duke went from getting a few minutes here and there to playing 30 minutes a night — looking damn comfortable doing it, too. In 23 games this regular season, McCain averaged 15.3 points shooting 46.0% from the floor and 38.3% from long range, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He was quickly emerging as a frontrunner — a distant frontrunner, even — for the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
And, in what felt like an instant, it was over. After reporting soreness in his left knee following a December game, McCain’s season was ended when he was diagnosed with a meniscus tear that would require surgery.
All this being said, the sample size was cut unfortunately short by McCain’s season-ending injury. McCain looked fantastic beyond-expectations in the 23 games he was able to play in his rookie campaign, but it’s important to remember that it was less than a third of an NBA season. Acknowledging that isn’t just to be a “doomer”, either! It is just a fact and needs to be taken into consideration when setting full-season expectations for McCain going forward.
That being said, some impressive patterns emerged from the fresh guard even in his limited time. Back in November 2024, McCain strung together nine straight contests scoring 18 or more points, including setting impressive early-career highs of 34 points (six triples!) and 10 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle of that run.
Throughout that same nine-game stretch, McCain averaged 24.3 points a night shooting 42.0% from beyond the arc on a 9.8 attempts per game clip. Not bad for a rookie… not bad for anybody, really.
The potential shown in McCain goes beyond the numbers, too. The 21-year-old was hitting catch-and-shoot threes, scoring off the dribble and creating plays for his teammates with keen and timely passes. McCain simply showed sparks of ability and game sense not normally found in a young rookie guard, even a first-rounder, and he always seemed confident and calm in doing it.
And none of this even mentions the palpable effect of McCain’s passion, work ethic and jovial personality on his fellow Sixers. It’s the thing that will never be shown on a stat sheet, but is immediately evident when you see how the rookie’s teammates are excited by and able to build upon the early successes of McCain.
There are still some things that will need to be figured out organizationally looking forward, such as how McCain will work in tandem (or split) with fellow small guard Tyrese Maxey long term and simply where he fits in the rotation period as the team moves forward. Realistically, it would even be a fair to give McCain an “incomplete” grade for this season because of its hasty end and the revolving door of lineups he was playing alongside.
But, if you ask me, the rookie simply showed too much promise to dismiss and provided a bit of joy in such a miserable slog of a season. That earns an A from me.
Player grade: A