The Philadelphia 76ers selected Jared McCain with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. There was a lot of excitement around the guard out of Duke but some concerns arose as a result of his performances in the Summer League. McCain’s shot deserted him in the Summer League. He shot an underwhelming 28.6% from the field and 25.5% from beyond the arc. A far cry from his 41.4% three-point conversion rate at Duke. Naturally, many started to wonder whether his shot would translate to the league. We are still waiting to find the answer to that. McCain has impressed his teammates immensely during the Sixers’ training camp in the Bahamas though and does not seem to be struggling with his shot at all. Embiid, the face of the 76ers, seems to have taken notice of the rookie. According to Ky Carlin on Sixers Wire, the 30-year-old said about McCain: “He competes. “He’s tough. He competes. Great shot maker. He’s been shooting the ball extremely well. Great energy. I think he has a pretty good chance. I don’t want to put the expectations out there, but I kind of-I got to see more, but so far, he’s been, it’s been good just, you know, great personality.” He has even drawn some comparisons to All-Star teammate, Tyrese Maxey, who signed a five-year, $204 million extension this summer. Embiid said: “I saw the same thing with Tyrese. “He’s excited. I think at this point, he seems to be more in control, more pace to his game, but obviously both are great shooters, great personality. Seems to always be smiling for no reason.” That is some high praise indeed, especially coming from Embiid. Now, it remains to be seen if McCain is able to show his quality when the NBA season rolls around. He had proved his mindset even while struggling in the Summer League. Despite his shot not falling, he continued to trust it, which is what all great shooters need to do. Forget the misses and believe that the next one will go in. McCain might be in the right place to pace his development as well. He would not be expected to start games in his rookie season.
He should be able to get minutes here and there though. And hopefully, there won’t be any lack of open looks considering he will be surrounded by teammates like Embiid, Maxey and Paul George. Then, it is up to him to convert them.
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