Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain was in the middle of a stellar stretch last season when he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. It prematurely ended his rookie stint, limiting him to just 23 games.
He was eager to bounce back in his sophomore campaign. Or even simply regain that feeling of relief by being back on the hardwood. Fate, however, played another cruel joke on McCain, as he injured his right thumb while working out before training camp. There's still no timetable for his return after undergoing surgery.
Opening about his latest setback, the 21-year-old McCain said he's trying to remain optimistic.
“The universe is throwing haymakers at me. But it’s all part of the process. I’ve just got to trust that it happened for a reason,” said the 76ers spitfire in a report from NBC Sports Philadelphia's Noah Levick.
Levick noted that McCain, who has a pink brace on his right thumb, will be reevaluated in two weeks.
“I’ll get this off and have a playing brace. I’ll just start passing, dribbling, and doing all the steps with that. Then we’ll see from there when they let me play.”
The former Duke star also admitted that he became deeply emotional after he sustained the injury, describing it as a “freak, stupid little thing.” The 76ers are also dealing with the health of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Kyle Lowry.
“I went to the training room, and I was crying. I immediately started crying. It’s just so frustrating when that happens. I knew something was wrong immediately. But after a few days, I kind of calmed down. I got in a depressive state, but I was good and I’m back to my normal self now,” shared McCain.
He quickly endeared himself to the 76ers because of his fun-loving personality. But he definitely can catch fire on the court. Last season, he averaged 15.3 points on 46.0% shooting, including dropping 34 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
