Many Philadelphia 76ers fans expected Jared McCain to redeem himself after a two-game stint with the Delaware Blue Coats. Instead, he played five minutes in the 76ers’ 110-108 win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday and remains scoreless through his first four games.
Nick Nurse said after practice today that there aren’t any momentary plans for McCain to return to Delaware. Philadelphia is left with no choice but to let McCain play through the rust if it wants to get him readjusted from his knee and thumb injuries. The second-year guard won’t shake off the cobwebs playing short stints, so he must receive an increased opportunity to return to form.
It’s trickier than it seems
Fans have grown frustrated with Nurse’s reluctance to increase McCain’s role given the 76ers’ recent offensive woes. Philadelphia ranks second-to-last league-wide in points per game in its last four contests with 106.3. It has struggled to find offense sans Tyrese Maxey, which has the fandom questioning McCain’s place on the bench.
The decision is more delicate than it may seem on the surface, however.
Nurse has aimed to maintain a balance between letting McCain reacclimate and deploying his most reliable players in the interest of winning. While the 21-year-old is one of the 76ers’ premier guards on paper, his contributions are limited at his current state. Philadelphia scores 21.6 more points per 100 possessions when McCain is off the floor compared to him on.
His suppressed impact has given way to VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes to shoulder most of the backcourt rotation. Grimes has surfaced as a low Sixth Man of the Year award candidate, averaging 16.8 points per game; while Edgecombe is tied with Cooper Flagg for second-most points per contest amongst rookies with 15.5.
How does this get fixed?
McCain must absorb more offensive responsibility if he is to reappear as the same player who emerged as the runaway Rookie of the Year candidate last season. Philadelphia has sparingly used him as a spot-up shooter rather than a ball-handler in his limited stints. Nurse’s approach has yielded the 76ers few results as McCain averages just 2.3 field goal attempts per game.
Not to mention, the sophomore is also playing with a left knee brace, which is limiting his overall mobility. The only way McCain can redeem himself is through more playing time. If given more minutes, he can adapt to the brace’s restrictions and cleanse the rust that has some questioning his place on the roster.
McCain missed Philadelphia’s first six games of the season due to right thumb surgery recovery. He endured a torn UCL in his right thumb during a workout on September 25th that forced him to undergo a procedure on October 1st. The second-year guard missed 59 games last season after tearing his meniscus on December 13th as well.