The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of a tight chase for a playoff spot, but their preoccupation with the postseason race is definitely not enough to cloak themselves away from the public eye, especially when talking about Jared McCain. After all, their decision to trade the promising sophomore has aged like milk. Now, the Thunder got away with another grand heist to add to their already loaded lineup.
McCain, who has seen his role and production improve in Oklahoma City, was asked recently about the way Mark Daigneault has utilized him so far. And in doing so, he dished out a pretty telling statement about what went wrong in Philly that led to his decreased indispensability after a promising rookie campaign.
Jared McCain on if he has played alongside a big man who can make screening a highlight play like Isaiah Hartenstein:
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) March 17, 2026
“It’s crazy. When I was in Philly, Joel would do that with Tyrese and I was like ‘Dang, that’s really cool right there.’ So being able to be a part of it is… pic.twitter.com/vTsyiC1P4u
Clearly, that is a strong indication and a vivid confirmation that Nick Nurse and his staff did not do a good job optimizing the role of the young guard when he was still on the roster. His role was so minuscule and suboptimal that he never really got the chance to get out of his injury-related funk.
The 76ers misused Jared McCain while the Thunder have found a perfect way to utilize him
In just 18.6 minutes per outing, McCain has registered 11.4 points a night for the defending champions while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc, providing their second unit a huge boost on the scoring end. Those are marked improvements from his poignant numbers in Philly, where he turned in just 6.6 points per contest on sub-40 percent shooting from the field and from three-point territory in just under 17 minutes on the average.
Sure, OKC does have a better collection of talent and a more balanced lineup surrounding him, but Daigneault has also incorporated some new elements to their playbook in order to accommodate McCain and so far, the results have been impressive.
As the eccentric guard pointed out, OKC has become intentional and deliberate in getting McCain in more ideal positions to get off cleaner shots. With Isaiah Hartenstein, he is able to curl from well-set screens and fire away open shots. It is baffling that Nurse never did the same for McCain, who observed how the 76ers were able to utilize the same setup for Tyrese Maxey with Joel Embiid as one exercise of their two-man game.
The 76ers never really made a genuine effort to make life more comfortable for Jared McCain, especially when he was coming off a year-long absence. Instead, they chose to trade him –– a decision that looks foolish with the Thunder having unlocked his game so easily this quick.