The Philadelphia 76ers thought they got a steal in the 2024 NBA Draft when Jared McCain started his career as the top rookie in the class. A year later, McCain’s return from injury hasn’t gone as expected, and a player they passed on appears to have been the better selection.
Such a framework would have seemed inexplicable a year ago, when McCain shot fireballs from his hands every time he shot the basketball. In the 23 games to start his career, the Duke player shot 38.3 percent from deep, averaged 15.3 points per game and was the 76ers’ best offensive player before going down with a season-ending injury.
Essentially, every development since that hot start has worsened the situation. McCain’s injury recovery was long and arduous, and he has returned as a shadow of the rookie phenomenon he once was. He’s shooting just 32.3 percent from deep and 35.4 percent from the field overall, his scoring has dropped significantly, and whenever he steps on the court, the 76ers turn into the worst team in the NBA.
McCain hasn’t even been able to make an impact in the G League, as his shooting woes follow him even to that level of competition. Where he was once thought to be a core player, his play this season has found him on the fringe of the 76ers’ rotation.
Add to that reality that the 76ers added another combo guard this summer in VJ Edgecombe, who himself has had a good start to his career. He’s a fixture in the starting lineup and looks like the long-term starter at the 2 next to Tyrese Maxey. Now that that’s the case, there’s much less need for McCain, even if he’s playing better; working three small guards in a rotation is possible, but not necessary.
The 76ers have no choice but to hope that McCain’s level of play will pick up again as he gets further away from his knee injury, but that wait becomes all the more painful as the “what if” question plagues them. What the 76ers need most now as they prepare for a playoff run is help on the wing. It just so happens that one of the players they passed on to draft McCain breaks out as the exact player this team needs.
Jaylon Tyson would be perfect for the 76ers
On Friday, January 16, the Cleveland Cavaliers were in Philadelphia to play the 76ers. In a hard-fought back-and-forth match, the Cavaliers came out on top by two points. The best player on the field? Sophomore winger Jaylon Tyson, who dropped 39 points on 13-for-17 shooting, including seven 3-pointers, five rebounds and four assists — the last assist coming on the winning basket.
It was the culmination of a weeks-long breakout, in which Tyson has proven himself as a strong starting option for Cleveland and a clear member of their core. For the season, he is now averaging 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and an astounding 47.3 percent of his 4.3 three-pointers per game.
The 76ers could desperately use a player like Tyson, a solid fullback who shoots unconsciously from deep and adds real scoring and playmaking skills. Whether he started at the 3 and Paul George at the 4, or whether he came off the bench behind George, the current Sixers would be much better off with Tyson than with McCain – both because of their current level of play and their positional value.
In the long run, Tyson could evolve into a wingman for Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, a type that McCain can’t have just because of his size. If the Sixers had drafted Tyson instead of McCain, they would be in a very different place right now.
Can McCain right the ship? Absolute. Even if he does, it becomes undeniable: They should have drafted Jaylon Tyson. The knife was cruelly twisted on Friday night, and their regret only grows with each passing game.
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