With the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Duke guard Jared McCain.

The Sixers have been seen widely as a team likely to trade its first-rounder for a win-now player. They have been linked to stars like Paul George and Brandon Ingram and were seen as a potential suitor for a trade for a role player if they couldn’t land a star. While a future trade is still possible, for the time being, McCain is joining the Sixers.

McCain is seen as one of the very best shooters in the draft and a crafty scorer. The 20-year-old is 6-foot-3 and has a wingspan roughly of the same size. Because he's not super big or an otherworldly playmaker, his ceiling may not be as high as others in this draft. However, betting on his elite shooting — one of the most important skills for a supporting-cast player to have — makes him a very solid selection for Philly.

Grade for 76ers' Jared McCain selection in 2024 NBA Draft: A-

The Sixers had Jared McCain, Isaiah Collier, Ja'Kobe Walter, Tristan da Silva, Dalton Knecht and numerous other big-time prospects on the board for them to pick. In the end, they decided to add a young guard with a special knack for shooting that plays hard on both ends of the floor.

In 36 games last season with the Blue Devils, McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from deep and 88.5 percent from the foul line. He shot a whopping 5.8 threes per game in his freshman season. It's surely that skill that made him stand out for Philly. Especially with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey leading the way on offense, McCain will have lots of space to fire away with his crisp, smooth jumper.

McCain is more than just someone who launches from deep, though. He's a pretty well-rounded scorer, capable of shooting off the dribble going in various directions, driving into the paint with force and deploying crafty below-the-rim finishes to put points on the board. His two-point shooting percentage of 52.1 percent is promising for a guard, as is his 60.2 percent shooting on shots at the rim.

Although the profile for McCain is that of a pure hooper, he also puts in effort as a defender and rebounder, doing what he can with his slight frame to impact the game. According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, McCain's work ethic is a major plus, which adds to his appeal along with his intriguing scoring chops.

Vecenie wrote the following about the 76ers' selection at pick no. 16: “He ticks every single box from a character perspective and is known to be excellent in terms of work ethic — both in the gym and in the weight room. There’s every reason to buy into him continuing to grow from this already strong starting point. At the very least, you’re getting a great shooter whom you know will come in and make 3s. He also has more scoring ability beyond that, too. He’s a sneaky bet to average 20 points per game in the NBA at some point.”

While expecting McCain to become as good as Maxey is asking way too much, they do share intriguing similarities: both are very hard-working, smaller guards whose major selling point is their offense but will put in the work everywhere to help their teams win. The 76ers rolling the dice on another smiley, sharp-shooting guard makes sense when their first attempt worked out so well.

If McCain doesn’t pan out in the NBA, it’s likely because he wasn’t able to overcome his physical limitations. Not only is he undersized for a player who projects to be more of a wing than a lead ball-handler but he isn’t insanely quick or explosive. Although he has some potential as a playmaker off of his shooting gravity and driving, he didn’t show it a lot at Duke. How much of that was the role he was asked to play and his own limitations will become clear when he makes the jump to the NBA.

Although expecting the 16th pick to eventually be a surefire starter is asking a lot, it should be mentioned that his fit next to Maxey in the backcourt is questionable. Having two dynamic scorers on offense, especially when they’re both knockdown shooters, is really good but one of them is going to have to be a primary guard defender. It seems more likely that McCain would be asked to do that given Maxey's status as the lead guard but that would be asking a lot of McCain.

However, solely based on how he projects in the NBA and where the Sixers were picking, Jared McCain is likely going to be a really good selection. At the very least, Philly is bringing in a floor spacer who can attack off the dribble and play his tail off. Any concerns about his lack of athleticism or size can be diminished by his up-going, competitive demeanor and sweet shooting stroke.

The roster in place in Philly right now aside from their new rookie is just Embiid, Maxey, Paul Reed and Ricky Council IV. Daryl Morey said that there would be a lot of change happening to the roster this offseason. McCain gives the Sixers a very intriguing prospect that might still be flipped in a trade down the line if a star becomes available and is eager to join the Sixers. Regardless, they got good value out of their 16th pick.

The 76ers also have a second-round selection, the 41st overall pick, to add more young talent or make a trade on Thursday. The second round begins at 4:00 P.M. EST.