Sixers’ First-Round Rookie Makes Summer League Debut vs. Thunder
The Summer League Sixers took the floor in Utah on Monday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. The matchup offered the Philadelphia 76ers a first look at their rookie guard, Jared McCain.
Just two weeks back, the Sixers entered the 2024 NBA Draft with the 16th overall pick. While there was plenty of speculation about Philly’s willingness to move on from the pick in favor of a veteran addition, Daryl Morey and the front office liked the way the chips fell.
The Sixers considered Duke’s Jared McCain a top-ten player on their board. At pick 16, he was still available. Instead of striking a trade to move the selection, the 76ers called on McCain to join the organization. He became Philly’s first first-round pick since Jaden Springer in 2021.
In his first set of NBA action, McCain started at the point guard position, checking in for 27 minutes. He attempted six of his 15 shots from the field. While McCain’s efficiency was off, especially from deep, where he went 0-6, the Duke product managed to score 15 points.
Despite being a smaller guard, McCain takes pride in having an impact in all areas, including rebounding. He came down with six defensive boards on Monday. In the playmaking department, McCain had three assists while turning the ball over just once.
Following his freshman season at Duke, McCain left the NCAA averaging 14 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field. His Summer League debut mirrored his production with the Blue Devils, which helped him become a first-round pick.
Jared McCain got busy in his Summer League debut 🫡
— Overtime (@overtime) July 9, 2024
15 PTS
6 REB
3 AST
2 STL
(h/t @IQfor3)
pic.twitter.com/xoMCQfOjWG
McCain and the Summer Sixers still have a lot of hoops left to be played, but he’s on the right track so far. The rookie’s contributions helped the Sixers defeat the Thunder with a score of 102-92.
The Sixers play again on Tuesday, July 9. They are set to face the Memphis Grizzlies.
JUSTIN GRASSO
Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA