Things were slightly looking better for the Philadelphia 76ers entering training camp until the basketball gods decided to hand them another obstacle they must clear. Jared McCain, whom fans were looking forward to seeing after his impressive rookie campaign got cut short, will miss the early part of the regular season after a UCL tear on his thumb.
With McCain having fully recuperated from his knee injury, this is simply way too brutal of a setback. Sure, he should not be out for a huge chunk of the season, but he will come into the campaign cold and without much wind-up thanks to the attendant halt that he will have to accept as he works his way back from this new injury.
Philly had already envisioned McCain functioning as one of their main weapons in the backcourt, but that obviously will be at a pause until further notice. But given the team’s current situation, losing the incoming sophomore to injury is just going to make things even grimmer and more difficult to stomach.
The coaching staff will now have to replace McCain’s spot in the rotation. However, the 76ers do not really have a great candidate to fill his shoes for the time being. In fact, the most likely outcome is that the coaching staff will probably give minutes to a washed-up veteran like Kyle Lowry.
76ers are stuck with Kyle Lowry after ugly Jared McCain injury
With the team having a dearth of point guards beyond Tyrese Mxey, Nick Nurse and his staff will most likely give consistent minutes to Kyle Lowry next season, at least to kick things off.
Playmaking is a real problem for this team, and trotting the All-Star out as their lone guard who can create for others is a dangerous proposition. Of course, no one in their right mind would peg Lowry as a regular part of the rotation, but again, it is not like the team is teeming with options right now.
There will be a lot of complaints with this impending move, and for good reason. At this point in his career, Lowry is nothing but a locker room presence, and he is definitely not in playing shape, as can be gleaned from his Media Day appearance.
Hopefully, McCain gets back as soon as he can, although the 76ers cannot rush the process. It is just that the team badly needs him, and an alternative like Lowry simply is not going to cut it.