Their night may have gotten spoiled by a furious comeback by the hosts that led the Philadelphia 76ers to just their second loss this season, but fans should not lose sleep over this one. Part and parcel of their positive outlook despite a fourth quarter meltdown is the fact that Jared McCain finally made his much-awaited return from injury.
After missing almost an entire calendar year, McCain made a successful return against the Chicago Bulls. In 15 minutes of gameplay, he looked pretty rusty as expected, going scoreless and missing all four of his field goal attempts and both of his three-point tries, although he did rack up a couple of assists. It was an unremarkable performance, but that is far from the most important thing on this trail.
McCain’s return not only gives the 76ers another talented guard to add to their already radioactive backcourt composed of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes, but it will likewise provide the coaching staff with some much-needed relief when it comes to handling the minutes of the aforesaid players, most notably Maxey and Edgecombe.
Thanks to Jared McCain, the 76ers can now reduce the minutes of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe
Maxey is currently averaging 42 minutes per outing, while Edgecombe is seeing the hardwood for 38.8 minutes per game. And as you might have already inferred, both of them are first and second among all players, respectively, in minutes per contest.
Sooner than later, Nick Nurse will have to veer away from that disposition — and McCain will definitely incentivize him to do just that.
Between McCain and Grimes, the 76ers have a couple of starting-caliber guards who are more than good enough to absorb a chunk of those minutes currently earmarked for both Maxey and Edgecombe. As long as the sophomore stays healthy moving forward, there is literally no reason for the coaching staff to keep feeding those two with eye-popping amounts of court time, which obviously heightens the risk of injury and burnout.
Depth at the backcourt positions is perhaps this team’s biggest edge over their opponents on a nightly basis, and it is incumbent upon the coaching staff to tap into that advantage and manage those minutes better. After all, this team is all too familiar with injuries arising from overplaying guys.
Jared McCain is so talented that he should be able to shake off his rust with just a few more burn on the hardwood with his teammates. And once he gets back his mojo, 76ers fans will revel even more in the abundance of talent the team has in the backcourt.