Sixers Bell Ringer: The Jared McCain Game

Sixers Bell Ringer regular season rankings:
Tyrese Maxey – 2
Jared McCain – 2
Guerschon Yabusele – 2
Paul George – 1
Kelly Oubre, Jr. – 1

Don’t look now, but the Sixers may have a rookie of the year candidate on their hands.

Jared McCain scored a rookie career-high 27 points on Sunday to help lead the Sixers to their second win of the season, a wild overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center.

Coming back from a winless West Coast swing – and still woefully undermanned – it was no surprise that the Sixers came out slow. The Hornets joined them as neither team could find much offense. The home team won the first quarter 16:15 (no, that’s not a typo).

The Sixers had a little more power in the second quarter, thanks in part to Jeff Dowtin, Jr., who was named the team’s backup point guard for veteran Reggie Jackson. Dowtin had nine points at halftime while the Sixers held a narrow lead of 46-45 at the break.

Nick Nurse made the decision to start Guerschon Yabusele in place of Andre Drummond at the start of the second half. This decision paid off immediately for the Frenchman and he lost 12 points in the quarterfinals. At this point, McCain also came into the game and scored ten points in the third quarter.

The Sixers extended their lead to as many as 16 – and then disaster struck. LaMelo Ball led a furious comeback, scoring 16 points in the fourth period, including a difficult game-winning third corner with eight seconds left. Paul George didn’t make a particularly good shot and the game went into overtime.

Due to a minutes restriction, George did not play in overtime. Luckily, the Sixers were able to pull out the win after a few big throws from Yabusele and McCain.

Next up for the Sixers is the return of Joel Embiid and their first Emirates NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. First, let’s talk about Bell Ringer.

Jared McCain: 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

The child can play.

McCain had a quiet first half, scoring just four points and taking just three shots.

It’s no exaggeration to say he took over the game at the end of the third quarter. He scored 10 points and ended the frame with one of his patented scoop layups and a confident transition three.

In the fourth, the nurse called his number. A 20-year-old rookie with future Hall of Famers Kyle Lowry and Paul George on the field rescued a stagnant Sixers offense.

He scored one of the Sixers’ only two field goals in overtime, parrying Grant Williams on a switch.

Just nine games into his NBA career, McCain is proving to be an effective three-level scorer. He gets downhill and uses his skill to finish at the rim, he’s effective dribbling in the midfield, and after a slow start, he gets going from deep.

He finished the night with 27 points on 10 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from three. McCain has now posted three of the eight best rookie scoring performances in the NBA this season.

Full disclosure: I’m planning on writing an article about McCain for the site tomorrow, so I’d like to save a few points for that.

Guerschon Yabusele: 20 points, 8 rebounds

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Yabusele is quickly going from a nice story to an indispensable part of the Sixers’ rotation.

In the first eight games, Yabusele has significantly outperformed Drummond in the five games. This trend continued on Sunday. The Sixers were +12 with Yabusele on the court and -10 with Drummond.

Both big men played decently for most of the first half. At the end of the second quarter, when Charlotte narrowly missed five-pointers with Grant Williams, Drummond began to struggle. Even the most loyal Drummond supporters know that it is difficult for him to keep watch in space. The ball-Williams pick-and-roll got him in trouble.

That’s why Nurse started the second half with Yabusele in the center. The move paid immediate dividends as Yabusele worked well with George to find gaps in the Hornets’ defense. George had nine assists on the night and Yabusele was often on the receiving end. The Dancing Bear had 12 points in the third period.

He continues to shoot well, going 2 of 4 from distance.

Yabusele scored the Sixers’ only other field goal in OT with a nice post move. He scored 20 points and eight rebounds in just over 30 minutes.

With Embiid returning on Tuesday, Yabusele will certainly have time with the four. He must. He was damn good to leave on the bench.

Paul George: 15 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Can you give a guy a Bell Ringer for just standing on the court?

No, of course you can’t, but it’s crazy how George’s mere presence makes everything easier for everyone else. George is still looking for his shot as he went 1 of 9 from three goals, but the nine assists were great. George’s seriousness alone improves the Sixers’ offense. It will be really great when we see him play alongside Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.