They Should’ve Never Let the Sixers Get Jared McCain…

They Should’ve Never Let the Sixers Get Jared McCain…

the Sixers have been borderline contenders but injuries bad contracts and bad team chemistry has led to early playoff exits time and time again the Sixers roster has always been plagued by underperformers chokers or egotistical co-stars going into the 2024 season the Sixers only had two players rostered their two stars EMB and Maxi having an empty roster would allow them to surround these players with the perfect Supporting Cast that fits to their strengths the first move the Sixers made was drafting Jared McCain 16th overall Jared McCain was projected to go in the range of his selection but he was deemed a poor fit for the Sixers due to him having a similar size and play style to Maxi not only did McCain seem like a bad fit for the Sixers but he was the most hated Prospect in the draft due to his Tik Tok and social media presence Dalton connect went 17th overall and everyone thought he was a much better fit for the Sixers due to his larger size experience and Elite shooting connect at 23 was viewed as the perfect win now piece for the Sixers while McCain was viewed as more of a project while this might be the case I think this selection from the Sixers was genius and the analytics back it [Music] up Jared McCain by all measures was a great Prospect throughout the draft process in high school he was a five-star recruit and the 10th ranked Prospect in the nation he he had offers to attend pretty much any college he wanted but ultimately decided to go to Duke at Duke McCain struggled early on across the first eight games of his freshman year he only averaged 7.6 points per game and shot 36% from field at this point he was falling down draft boards and was at risk for losing his starting spot after this brutal stretch McCain settled into the Duke offense and put up one of the best freshman seasons in program history over the next 28 games to the end of the year he averaged 16 .2 points per game he did this with very efficient three-point shooting as he shot 41.6% from three on a high volume of 6.3 attempts per game he was the only freshman in the country to do this last year his shooting was one of a kind and when he was on it led to many big games like when he broke Duke’s single game scoring record for freshman with 35 points against Florida State in this game he shot 8 for 11 from Beyond The Arc and single-handedly led Duke to the win McCain’s shooting is what really got Scouts excited about him and is his best trait that he brings to the NBA but the looming concern around him on the Sixers is how he will fit with Tyrese Maxi in the long term both are undersized guards neither are Elite Defenders and both have a pretty similar active play style this has had fans questioning this pick but it turns out the analytics say that these two might complement each other perfectly Tyrese Maxi has solidified himself as an elite NBA shooter but he’s most efficient on corner or top of the key 3es Maxi shot only 35% from the wings where Maxi struggled is where McCain shines McCain in college last year shot 44% from the wings while on court with maxi he’ll be able to cover this area which the Sixers struggled when the Sixers are in a set offense the play they run the most is the dribble handoff Maxi gets the ball to a player in the high post normally Joel embiid then the player on the high post reads the defense and hands it back to Maxi while creating a screen on this play when Maxi drives it typically results in the defense crashing on him and leaving a shooter open on the wing here are a few examples where Patrick Beverly is wide open but Maxi drives and puts a shot up on the rim because Beverly is not a trusted three-point shooter in situations like these McCain would be in Beverly’s spot and would get wide open looks from his most efficient spot the Sixers later got rid of Beverly and the guard alongside Maxi the most was Kyle Lowry for the end of the season Lowry is known as being a facilitating guard and not a catch and shoot three-point specialist this was not the best match next to Maxi as the Sixers used the dribble handoff play less since acquiring him and in many cases Lowry would be stagnant in the corner instead of running to an open spot on the court the Sixers offense is at its best when this play is clicking and having McCain on the court would add another element to it the other big part part of Tyrese Maxi’s game is transition scoring last season he was 13th in the NBA in points per game on transition although as a team the Sixers did not help him out on fast breaks Kyle Lowry was 38 and did not run the floor like he used to then Joel embiid and Tobias Harris very rarely got out in transition this led to most fast break opportunities where Maxi had to take it all by himself in college McCain ranked in the 96th percentile in Fast Break points per game McCain and is known as being super active on the court and always hustling to get easy buckets having both on the court at the same time will be a nightmare for defenses as the two guards will always be the first players up and down the court this play style will allow Maxi to capitalize on fast breaks and can hopefully lead the Sixers to getting a few more easy buckets each game a concern about McCain being on the court at the same time as Maxi is the lack of size that it gives the Sixers both are 62 guards under 200 lb and in today’s game that would make them one of the smallest back courts yet McCain doesn’t play like most guards his size he averaged five rebounds a game in college and held his own matching up on defense against bigger guards and forwards the Sixers last year really struggled to get rebounds and defend physical guards this could be an area where as he develops he really helps the Sixers out what the Sixers need more than anything is a clutch big game performer and McCain is a known big game performer cuz you know the Sixers kind of have a history of problems in the big moment McCain won a state championship in high school and in his one season at Duke he carried them to the Elite 8 in March Madness he had multiple 30-point games in March Madness and it seemed the brighter the lights the stronger he performed McCain probably won’t start right away but he should be in the rotation the thought behind drafting McCain is that he’ll one day develop and be one of their most valuable players many smaller guards take a while to develop in drafts examples of this are Steph Curry drafted seventh Jaylen Brunson drafted 33rd and obviously Tyrese Maxi drafted 21st historically undersized guards take longer to develop yet have just as high of a ceiling the undersized guards that turn into stars are those that work harder than everyone else Tyrese Maxi fancies himself the hardest worker in the league what are you looking forward to in terms of learning from him everything I mean uh curiosity is something I’m trying to be big on especially coming to the NBA not trying to Big Time anything and so just asking him his how his transition went obviously he was one and done and just trying to ask him how he fit into the NBA what were some things he learned quickly that made him so successful yeah obviously working out with him um the work ethic just learning everything I can having Maxi one of the most optimistic players in the league working alongside McCain could Skyrocket his development not only does McCain pair well with maxi analytically and with his optimism his work ethic is also something that’ll work perfectly with the Sixers mindset Jared McCain is working hard for himself and for his brother his brother Jace was also a top prospect but he had some serious injuries and blood clots causing him to stop playing basketball Jace worked at Duke with Jared and they had a common goal together do everything in their power to help Jared make the NBA now that I’m retired like my whole goal since I’ve been home is to you know try to get Jared as prepared as possible for for that next level and so we’ve been going to the gym at least two times a day sometimes three Jason Jared train hard every day to make it to the top and we’re finally seeing that hard work pay off you said you wanted to get drafted for your brother the moment is here how are you feeling there’s no words to describe it I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I have no words they means everything to me man he works so damn hard for this and I’m just blessed to be a part of this journey and it’s such a big part of my purpose as a person so is everything to me Jared McCain won’t stop now because he’s drafted and he’ll continue to work hard and make his brother proud Maxi and McCain have the Philly Spirit it might be a little cringe that he’s a Tik tocker but wouldn’t you rather him have a little fun on Tik Tok than what other MBA stars are doing or not doing he’ll play his heart out and work hard no matter what you think of his social media presence the Sixers Landing this pick looks like it could shape up to 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The Sixers, after years of playoff disappointments due to injuries and bad chemistry, entered the 2024 offseason with only Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the roster. They drafted Jared McCain, a sharpshooter from Duke, despite concerns about his fit and social media presence. McCain’s strengths complement Maxey’s weaknesses, enhancing the team’s offense and fastbreak potential. While undersized, McCain’s work ethic and energy make him a promising addition, potentially turning into a valuable asset for the Sixers.

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