PHILADELPHIA — Jared McCain brought the game ball to the podium with him after he led the Philadelphia 76ers to an overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets. It was a gift Tyrese Maxey gave to him, courtesy of assistant coach Rico Hines. It was a reward that was well-deserved after the rookie led the Sixers down the stretch to a hard-fought, 107-105 victory.
McCain's 27 points came on 10-18 shooting from the field. He became the first rookie guard to score 25 points in a game this season, adding three rebounds and two assists to his stat line. It was just the 20th game of the last 10 seasons where a rookie of age 20 or younger scored 27 points within his first 10 games. McCain joined the likes of Maxey, Ja Morant and Trae Young as one of the few undersized guards to crack a list comprised of bigger players like 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The handful of defense and hustle plays he made throughout the game — of which he played nearly the final 20 minutes — showed how much of a gamer the Duke product truly is.
“Every time I can make a winning play, that's all I'm trying to do,” McCain said. “So if it's making a game-winning deflection, a game-winning stop — obviously, I got hit with three to go to overtime so I feel like I owed it to the team and to myself to get a stop — I'm always just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
McCain said it was “the worst feeling” to watch LaMelo Ball drill a three-pointer over him to force overtime. He made up for it by forcing a shot-clock violation on an overtime Charlotte possession. His psychologist gave him a mindset to lock into his tasks at hand in raucous environments: “Feel the dance.” With an All-Star on a heater inviting McCain to boogie, the rookie shut the dance floor down.
“I just take it moment by moment,” McCain said. “I'm not trying to look at the bigger picture, like, ‘Oh my God, I'm guarding LaMelo Ball and it's overtime.’ I just try to take it moment by moment, be present. When you're present, I feel like you react in the moment and you feel everything that's happening around you and you react to it.”
McCain not only shut down Ball and made hustle plays throughout the night but he led the offense throughout the fourth quarter and especially overtime, when George was held out due to his minute restriction. The established, decorated veterans turned the game over to the rookie, showcasing the immense trust they have in him.
“I mean, to have Kyle Lowry [and] Paul George trust me in those moments — what kid wouldn't wanna be in those moments?” McCain said. “They talk to me throughout the whole game: ‘Just keep going.’ Paul George just calls me kid and then Kyle calls me rook. I get called rook most of the time. But, yeah, it's just cool to build their trust from players [who] won a championship, just been great players throughout their whole career.”
Jared McCain leads 76ers to overtime win vs. Hornets
George, who contributed 15 points and nine assists on 6-18 shooting in his home 76ers debut, said that it feels like McCain is “on year five already. He's confident.”
McCain has plenty of veterans to lean on as he catches up to the speed of the NBA game. His ability to play off the ball makes it easier for the Sixers to play him. Any concerns about his size are quashed by the strength and dexterity he shows on finishes in the paint, beautiful complements to his three-point shot.
“I'm slowing down when I get into the paint. I love the mid-range. I work on it all the time, getting into a bump fade, getting into a bump mid,” he said. “I'm just learning how I'm gonna play in the NBA and hopefully learning fast.”
Nick Nurse said the rookie gave the 76ers “a great lift” toward their second win of the season, stepping up alongside Guerschon Yabusele (20 points, eight rebounds) and Jeff Dowtin Jr. (11 points). Nurse said the three of them were “outstanding” off the bench.
McCain's ability to shoot and attack off the dribble makes him an intriguing fit next to any of George, Maxey or Joel Embiid. His defense may not be as effective but it certainly makes the rookie more dynamic. He's as much of a gamer and competitor as he is a scoring threat, even if the latter area stands out more right now.
“He's getting lots of chances to get better,” Nurse said. “This is a starting point for anybody but especially a rookie: Do you want to play it? He does wanna play it. Are you gonna work hard and give the effort it takes to play defense at this level? He does.”
The 76ers need Jared McCain a lot right now as they navigate turbulence, a result of numerous injuries, including Maxey, who will be sidelined for a little bit with a hamstring injury. He's staying ready to make his mark, build more trust with his teammates and perhaps pick up a few more game balls along the way.
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