PHILADELPHIA — Jared McCain is embracing his new home, helping the Philadelphia 76ers unveil a new basketball court at Roberto Clemente Park this past Thursday. The rookie hasn’t been in the city for long but he's making sure he gets out there before the season begins.
McCain, fellow rookie Adem Bona and 76ers legend Julius Erving held the ceremonial ribbon for the team and Penn Medicine's new court. Erving led by example in how to show admiration for the team and the local community, though the two rookies hardly needed any coaching. They were happy to meet fans and answer questions from the kids in attendance about the upcoming season and the game of basketball.
After pitching in for the youth basketball clinic that ushered in the court, McCain said that he hoped the new court would help more aspiring hoopers chase their dreams.
As far as his new team goes, Jared McCain is the new kid on the block.
The 76ers have a litany of guards with NBA experience on their roster heading into the season. Tyrese Maxey is followed on the depth chart by McCain and three other guards — Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson — who have a combined 47 years of NBA experience. Philly is as win-now of a team as any other, so McCain's chances of playing consistent minutes this season are slim.
Although the surplus of veteran guards may block McCain's initial playing time, which isn’t the most ideal scenario for his development, that doesn’t mean they’re solely hindrances for the Duke product. Being teammates with so many veterans offers lessons about life in the NBA, the challenges that the highest level of hoops has to offer and plenty more.
Jared McCain ready to learn from Tyrese Maxey, 76ers veterans
Once seen as the primary youngster on the Philly roster, Maxey is staring down his fifth NBA season already. The 23-year-old is looking after his young teammates, who are in turn looking up to him for ways to get better, even by just one percent.
“Immediately, his quickness obviously jumps out. Him being able to make quick reads on the go is something I'm learning,” McCain told ClutchPoints. “In college, I was off the ball a lot, so learning to play on the ball and learning everything from him just to be [going] from a rookie to a superstar, I would say.”
During the Summer League games in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, McCain showed an ability to make stuff happen on the ball. His frequency of off-ball usage at Duke was seemingly more so a strategy used to maximize the players on the roster rather than keep McCain's role simple. He was probably capable of more than what the Blue Devils wanted out of him, though he still has room to improve in order to be a consistent creator going forward.
Maxey's rapid ascension from bench player to All-Star franchise cornerstone by the end of his rookie contract leaves behind a blueprint for McCain. It’s not an easy one to follow but its architect being there to lead by example and assist McCain on a day-to-day basis will certainly be beneficial.
“It's the best, man. It's something that obviously I wanna do,” McCain said of improving year after year like Maxey. “I'm gonna learn as much as I can from him and watch him be the best player he can be.”
The rest of McCain's fellow Sixers guards are all long-time NBA veterans like Lowry, who is about to play his 19th NBA season. The native of Philadelphia surely appreciates the rookie giving back to the community and will be instrumental in how he learns to compete at the NBA level.
“He's almost been in the league as long as I've been alive, so just to learn as much as I can — little ins and outs, tricks, just to become a better player,” McCain said of lessons he can learn from Lowry.
Few players have mastered the art of subtle winning plays like Lowry has. It’s a primary reason why he's still in the league at age 38 and was a top option on the championship-winning Toronto Raptors. McCain doesn’t possess the stocky, strong frame like Lowry, the foundation of his versatile and disruptive style of play. Nonetheless, getting first-hand experience from one of the league’s best competitors will do McCain very well.
Jackson is also an NBA champion, playing a role off the bench for the 2022-23 Denver Nuggets. McCain immediately pointed to his title and said that he'll look to learn more about “whatever it takes to win” from him. Lowry can be helpful in this way, too. Even Caleb Martin, who has been a part of runs to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, offers similar experience.
Gordon, more of a shooting guard than the other long-tenured veterans, lives up to the name of his position. His prolific three-point shooting makes him an ideal veteran for McCain, who shares his signature skill. McCain said that he's not trying to make any tweaks to his form but that he is trying to find as many ways as he can to use it.
“I think I have a quick release and everything like that,” the 76ers rookie said, adding that he’s working on “[how] to get shots off quicker, learn different footworks [and] different ways to get open, all that kind of stuff.”
Playing time may be in short supply for McCain in his rookie season. However, insight and tips about how to succeed in the professional game will be abundant. Even if one or multiple of the three older guards are moved mid-season, McCain's got plenty of veterans to help show him the way.
“A lot of these guys,” Jared McCain said, “it's just learning as much as I can from their experience in the league.”
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