When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Jared McCain at pick 16 in the 2024 NBA draft it, for better or worse, forever linked the Duke guard to the player selected one pick later, Dalton Knecht.
Widely expected to be drafted in the lottery, though, crucially, after the 6-foot-5 Tennessee sharpshooter, normally fans would be all about the ability to add a high-upside player like McCain, as not only did he drain his deep ball at a 41.4 percent clip in college but, at only 20 years old, has the potential to be a rotational player on a cost-controlled contract right out of the gate. Factor in his winning personality and A+ work ethic, and on paper, McCain is about as good a player as fans can expect outside of the lottery, with Tyrese Maxey comparisons – which is no hollow gesture for Philly fans – being appropriately levied at the sprightly young sparkplug.
And yet, when fans watch Knecht average 22 points on 41 percent shooting over his first two games in Las Vegas, soaking up an unusually bright spotlight due to his teammate, Bronny James, whispers of McCain already being a “bad pick” has already started to be bounced around online, with some fans wondering if Daryl Morey just landed himself in a Jalen Reagor-Justin Jefferson situation in what might just be the most important offseason in 76ers history.
All in all, at this point, those suggestions are just silly, as no one has ever been placed in the Hall of Fame for their efforts in the Summer League.
Jared McCain can't be judged until he plays alongside Joel Embiid
Has McCain been perfect playing for the Summer Sixers? No, he's had games where he's looked questionable in zone coverage, had contests where his 3 ball wasn't falling, and has struggled to put up the sort of stat lines that eclipse what Knecht is putting up routinely, let alone what his teammate Ricky Council IV, has brought to the table. Then again, at 20, McCain is one of the younger players in Summer League, with the 23-year-old Knecht having played four more seasons in college and RC4 nearly three years older than the collegiate Blue Devil.
And the best? McCain's play with the Summer League Sixers isn't even indicative of how he will perform in the NBA this fall, as he will be tasked with a radically different role on a team with a certain MVP clogging up the paint.
When McCain does finally get to take the court with the actual Sixers, filling a sparkplug role off the bench as a hybrid guard capable of contributing at the one and two, he will largely be tasked with taking the ball up the court, passing it off to Joel Embiid one way or another and then spotting up on the wings, flaring out off-ball to get open looks while keeping active feet to ensure his center has an open option when gravity pulls in perimeter defenders.
Will McCain occasionally have to run the show, control the offense, and find his own shot on-ball? Sure, Maxey was given that role early on, and there were times in the playoffs under Doc Rivers when he was the team's top offensive option. While McCain isn't as fast as the Kentucky product, and has a game that at least aesthetically looks more like a mini-Malcolm Brogdon than Philly's newest max player, he can probably still get the team a bucket when they need him most.
Fortunately, that isn't the role Philly drafted McCain to fill and likely won't be his role as a rookie or maybe even ever. While fans see Knecht shin as a spot-up shooter – he still isn't a good defender – and wonder why their new Maxey isn't doing the same, if you instead imagine McCain as TJ McConnel with just average defense but an A+ shot, there really isn't a reason to complain about what he is now or what he could be. The Summer League is, after all, a chance for young players to get used to playing in their new team's scheme against NBA players, some of whom have been playing professionally since one-and-done rookies were in middle school.
Regardless of the role McCain was tasked with playing in college or how he looked in Las Vegas playing on-ball or off next to veteran pro Jeff Dowtin – who really needs to be re-signed by Philly for this fall – the real evaluation process can't begin until he's sharing the court with E-MVP-IID under center, as there really isn't any other way to prepare for playing alongside the all-world center than to get on the court with him and see how open the shots are outside of his gravity.
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