A surprisingly dramatic evening Sunday night resulted in a Sixers victory in overtime against the Charlotte Hornets. How did Philadelphia get there exactly? Without stars Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, the team had to rely on their bench, and rookie Jared McCain delivered when asked.
Scoring a career-high 27 points, the second highest by a rookie this season, McCain’s offensive burst, particularly in the second half, lifted the team to a sorely needed second win.
After the game, McCain addressed the media, discussing his immediate emotions following his career-best performance.
“It’s always a sense of gratitude, McCain said. “I’m just thankful again to just be able to play out there, be healthy. Come out of the game safe and healthy. To be able to perform how I did, I just attribute to my work. I work hard every single day, so not that I expect it, but it feels good for the work to be shown.”
McCain had suffered a pulmonary contusion leading in the Sixers’ penultimate preseason matchup while attempting to pull down an offensive rebound. Not only was it an uncommon injury to suffer during an NBA game, but the frustration of suffering through such an experience, terrifying for many, cannot be overstated.
McCain was quickly taken to the hospital shortly after the game and was discharged the following morning. After being cleared for a concussion, the Sixers’ rookie skipped the team’s final preseason matchup and made his NBA debut during the Sixers’ season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s no surprise that remaining healthy through each and every game is not lost on McCain, considering the turbulent beginning of his career. It’s encouraging, however, that he elects to feel gratitude after the game instead of feeling fear during.
McCain has not gone away from his full-hustle approach, going at rebound attempts amongst the trees in the NBA or diving after loose balls. He has also only increased the frequency with which he attacks the rim.
Even immediately following his debut, McCain was unbothered by his recent injury.
“Yeah, there’s, I mean, there’s such [a] thing as garbage time, but there’s no [such thing] at all for me,” said McCain the morning after his NBA debut. “I’m gonna take every opportunity I get and play as hard as I can… Anytime I step on the court, I’m gonna play as hard as I can. So I never treat it as garbage time, but I just learned to always play hard. I’ve always learned that, and I’ve always done that, so I’m gonna continue to do that.”
Once again, McCain discusses working hard. Perhaps the most common theme when speaking to McCain about his game is the work that he puts into it. Not only in the areas he easily thrives in but also in his biggest areas of improvement, such as his ability to stick to his man in on-ball situations. Sunday night also gave fans an opportunity to see McCain develop in this area.
Fantastic defense from Jared McCain with the game on the line pic.twitter.com/74iordQGzd
— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) November 11, 2024
McCain was gifted the game ball as a reward for his hard work. After the game, coach Rico Hines collected the ball and gave it to star Tyrese Maxey to give to McCain, the Sixers rookie told the media after the game. It was a special moment of recognition from both the team’s player development coach and their young star, who shares McCain’s work ethic.
Over the course of his young career, Sixers fans quickly became enamored with Maxey, in large part due to his work ethic and his mantra of getting “one percent better every day.”
While there are differences in their games, the shared similarities between Maxey and McCain as shooters, drivers, and all-around hard workers have already helped make the case for McCain to become a fan favorite in Philadelphia, and the future seems only brighter from here.
