After an absence of nearly a calendar year due to a torn meniscus, further stretched by an untimely broken thumb just before training camp began, Jared McCain had finally made his long-awaited return to the Philadelphia 76ers. As expected, however, he was incredibly rusty, and his current softened role is telling of his current level of play.
McCain has appeared in just five appearances during their Thursday night matinee against the Bucks, averaging just ten minutes per game. Worse still, it appears his inclusion has taken a sabbatical as he has only lost two of his total of sixteen field colt attempts so far. In fact, he didn’t make his first basket back from injury until his fifth game, so it’s clear he’ll need a lot of reps to get his mojo back.
Unfortunately, given the massive early career setback he had just left behind, a slew of his current colleagues have already passed him by. In fact, it would be hard to deny that it would be unfair at this point to still view McCain as the best bet to come out of his draft class.
76ers guard Jared McCain is no longer the best player in his draft class
Before going down with a season-ending injury during his freshman campaign, McCain was on pace to win Rookie of the Year as the clear frontrunner. Despite being selected outside the lottery, he had NBA-ready skills and was undeniably the best scorer among his peers.
Now, given his injury, his role as a premier player from the 2024 draft class no longer makes sense.
As everyone knows, guards have a harder time when it comes to adjusting to the speed and style of play in the league. Although McCain mastered this last season, he is in the process of relearning things. Meanwhile, the players who followed him on the rookie trail last season have benefited from their healthy stints thus far.
An example? Stephon Castle, who ended up winning the top rookie plum. This season, the sophomore has stepped up on both ends of the court for the upstart Spurs. At this rate, he’s a safe bet to make All-Star teams on a permanent basis.
There’s also Alex Sarr, who did a complete 180 last season when he was uncharacteristically inefficient for a big man. He quickly blossomed with the Wizards. The same can be said for top pick Zaccharie Risacher, who had just gotten past his slow start to Year 2, and for Kel’el Ware, who was already entrenched as the starting center for the Heat.
To be fair, all of these players were picked before McCain, but the 76ers guard is just as talented as those guys. His ceiling is also high, although he will have a lot of catching up to do given the ugly card he has been dealt.
People still have a lot of confidence that McCain can return to form and resume his stunted growth. Hopefully the 76ers do what’s necessary to allow him to develop into the lethal player he wanted to become (and still is).
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