Share

Sixers Rookie Jared McCain Ruled Out for Remainder of Season


Philadelphia 76ers rookie shooting guard Jared McCain has officially been shelved for the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season, the team announced in a press statement Thursday.

McCain underwent left knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in December.

Read More: 76ers Rookie Sensation Jared McCain Ruled Out Indefinitely with Significant Injury

Philadelphia 76ers Jared McCain
Jared McCain #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers during the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on December 13, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

The 6-foot-2 first-year guard, 20, was selected with the No. 16 overall pick out of Duke in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Prior to his injury, McCain had been looking like the steal of his class.

Across what will have been his only 23 contests for Philadelphia this year (eight starts), McCain finishes with averages of 15.3 points on .460/.383/.875 shooting splits, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.7 steals a night. That scoring rate would represent a career high among rookies over the course of a full season, although he probably hasn’t played enough games to be considered for either All-Rookie team this year.

McCain emerged as a consensus five-star recruit out of Centennial High School in Corona, California. He fielded offers from elite NCAA programs like Gonzaga, Kansas and Houston, but ultimately opted for Duke. McCain wound up being an ACC All-Rookie Teamer during his lone season with the Blue Devils and landing with a club that had expected to contend ahead of the 2024-25 season, so it seems like that was the right college choice.

Things got acrimonious earlier this year, when the 76ers got off to a brutal 2-11 season start amid troubling injury issues to their star players.

But Philadelphia has at least stabilized recently.

The 76ers are currently 15-20 on the year and out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, but they seem to be improving of late. Philadelphia has been on the ascent of late. The club has gone 6-4 across its last 10 contests as All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have all been (mostly) healthy concordantly for once this season.

Read More: Latest Paul George Injury Update Spells Trouble for Regular Season Debut

That said, Embiid (foot injury), George (groin), reserve center Andre Drummond (to), backup point guard Kyle Lowry (hip), and bench wing KJ Martin (left foot stress reaction) all sat out the club’s clash on Wednesday against the lowly Washington Wizards.

Maxey leads all Philadelphia scorers this season with 25.5 points on .421/.338/.829 shooting splits, along with 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals. Embiid, a seven-time All-Star and the 2023 league MVP, is averaging 24.4 points on .452/.327/.920 shooting splits, 7.9 boards, 3.8 dimes, and 1.0 blocks per bout, but has been limited to just 13 games.

Read More: 76ers Hold Team Meeting After 2-11 Season, Tyrese Maxey Calls Out Joel Embiid

For more Philadelphia 76ers and NBA news, stay tuned to Newsweek Sports.





Source link