Ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain's debut on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, the sophomore guard is eager to play for his new fanbase. While it's been an emotional 48 hours for McCain, whose trade from the Philadelphia 76ers came as a surprise, he said, as he was introduced to the Thunder media for the first time before Friday's practice.
However, McCain, who attended Game 1 of last year's NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at the Paycom Center as the NBA rookie correspondent, is excited to be on the receiving side of Oklahoma City's raucous crowd.
“It was crazy. That was crazy,” McCain said. “I was with my friends during that time. We were sitting in the crowd. That was a crazy atmosphere — one of the most I've been in, for sure.
“Any player ever wants that — that crowd. You dream about it. You think about it when you're playing, doing a workout by yourself, or when you're counting down in your head. And when the crowd's reaction fills the stands, chanting the team's name, that's the best feeling. So, I'm definitely excited.”
As the new player joining the defending champion Thunder, McCain admits, he's very excited to do whatever it is that coach Mark Daigneault asks of him.
“Whatever coach has planned for me, I'm willing to do,” McCain added. “That could be spot-up shooting; whatever it is, I'm willing to do it. I'm just happy to be part of this culture and this program.”
How Thunder had eyes on Jared McCain since 2024
Head coach Mark Daigneault revealed the Thunder's interest in Jared McCain before the 2024 draft. Ahead of McCain's first media scrum since the trade, Daigneault talked about his connection with the second-year guard.
“Jared's a really good kid. We spent a lot of time with him in the draft process. Our scouts liked him back then and continue to like him in his NBA career,” Daigneault said. “So, he's always been somebody that Sam [Presti] and the rest of that group have had their eyes on. And we think he's a really good fit with the group. First and foremost, with a team like ours that's been successful and that's also had a lot of continuity — it's really important to Sam.
“He's expressed this to certainly us; bring in people that can sing our song. We think he's cut from that cloth. We're encouraged by that, and now, it's just a matter of integrating him in a very organic way. Not trying to force anything. But also, giving him a chance to strengthen the team. He's also not here to be a bystander, either. So, how that looks has yet to be seen, but we're certainly excited about adding him,” Daigneault concluded.
The Thunder selected Nikola Topic with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft before the 76ers picked McCain at No. 16.
