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Philadelphia 76ers: Mac McClung signs a two-way contract

Mar 19, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Mac McClung (0) shoots against the Utah State Aggies during the second half in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Mac McClung (0) shoots against the Utah State Aggies during the second half in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers announced yesterday that they were signing Mac McClung to a two-way deal. Per Keith Pompey, they are also releasing Julian Champagnie to make room for McClung.

Mac McClung is probably most well-known for his high school and college career as his NBA career has been a rollercoaster and he has yet to see a real chance in the league. In high school, McClung became well-known for his high-flying dunks that went viral on the internet. In his senior season, he also broke Allen Iverson’s single-season points record in the state of Virginia!

In college, McClung played two seasons at Georgetown University before transferring to Texas Tech for one more year. In his final collegiate season with the Red Raiders, McClung averaged 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. It was a bit of a surprise that he declared for the NBA Draft after his junior season.

He went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft and has since spent the majority of his time in the G-League. McClung has only seen playing time in two games at the NBA level, one for the Los Angeles Lakers and one for the Chicago Bulls.

McClung has now played almost two seasons in the G-League, for three different teams, but this year he seems to have found a home with the Delaware Blue Coats. He is averaging 19.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in 26 minutes. What is most impressive though are his shooting percentages. He is shooting 57.6% from the field and 50% from three-point range.

I imagine the impressive shooting growth is a primary reason the Sixers are signing McClung to the two-way contract. Both of his aforementioned shooting percentages are 10+ percentage point increases from the year before! That is unheard of; McClung must have been putting in work this past off-season.

It has finally paid off and McClung will be getting another chance at his NBA dream. He will be joining a Sixers team with depth at the wing position. Combine that depth with Doc Rivers’ preference to play veterans over young players and I doubt McClung will play any meaningful minutes for the team this year. Only time will tell, but we will get to see McClung this weekend compete in the NBA All-Star weekend Dunk Contest.