The Sixers’ Jared McCain continues to feel the dance during his early-season surge

Daryl Morey is a leader who usually comes out on top in the draft, even when drafting a contender.

He chose Tyrese Maxey over a number of more experienced players in 2020. The same goes for Jaden Springer, the youngest player selected in 2021.

Suffice it to say, one of them worked better than the other.

When the Sixers drafted for the 2024 NBA Draft, Morey had options with the 16th pick. Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, considered by many to be the plug-and-play guy in the draft, had fallen off the board. Morey could have tried to move the pick, like he did when he traded his 2022 first-rounder to the Memphis Grizzlies for De’Anthony Melton. (Morey even mentioned an “interesting player” being offered at No. 16 on draft night.)

Instead, he took 20-year-old guard Jared McCain out of Duke. It’s only been nine games, but this already looks like a masterpiece.

McCain was the Sixers’ best player in a much-needed 107-105 overtime win against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. He scored a team-high 27 points and essentially dominated the offense during the second half.

“He can be creative, he can handle people and he has a number of finishes,” said head coach Nick Nurse, “and he definitely plays with a lot of confidence and he just held on tonight.”

Crunch-time offense by a rookie with guys like Paul George and Kyle Lowry on the field?

“Fortunately, Jared McCain is already in fifth grade,” George said. “He’s confident.”

This confidence and fearlessness were paramount to McCain’s early success.

“For Kyle Lowry and Paul George to trust me in those moments,” he said, “what kid wouldn’t want to do that and be there in those moments?”

McCain has now posted three of the eight best scoring performances for NBA rookies this season. In a Rookie of the Year race that seems completely wide open, he is averaging 10.2 points per game, fourth among rookies. His 27 points on Sunday were the second-highest point total for a first-year player.

After understandably struggling a bit offensively in his first four games, McCain has performed exceptionally well in the last five games, averaging 14.4 points on 47.4/40/100 shooting distribution. He shows that he is a three-level scorer and not just a sniper.

“Just slow down,” McCain said. “When I leave a screen I always show the recording because that is my biggest threat. And when I manage to get the big guy out or get the defender on my side, I know I have it. I can either advance into the middle area or finish at the edge. And I’m constantly working on those layups – same foot, same hand layups. So just trust my work.”

If you didn’t know McCain said that, who on the Sixers do you think would have made that quote? Give a hint: He also smiles a lot.

It wasn’t a perfect evening for McCain. The Sixers had blown a 16-point lead and were clinging to a three-point lead with 10 seconds left. Charlotte hit the ball to LaMelo Ball for the corner. McCain finished late and the former All-Star guard made a difficult turnaround three-pointer to send the game into overtime.

“It’s just the worst feeling when you know you messed up,” McCain said. “You skipped a step and then he has an open step in front of you.”

Praise to the youngsters. He didn’t sulk or pout. He made a big basket in overtime and managed to stop Ball even more.

Head coach Nick Nurse said after the game that while McCain still has a lot to learn on defense, he knows the freshman is ready and playing hard in that regard.

Whether it’s making a big basket or making a crucial stop, anything is enjoyable for McCain as long as it leads to victory.

“For me it’s just a kind of silence,” he said. “Everything is so loud around you, so just concentrate on the ball and have a calm mind. My psychologist calls it “feel the dance.” And I just feel the flow, feel the dance. I actually just wanted to stop. That’s all I wanted.”

Like Tyrese Maxey, McCain is warm and plays with joy. Both also want to rip out their opponent’s heart. People can talk about the TikTok videos and painted nails all they want, but McCain is a tough player. He smashes the glass from a height of 6 feet between the trees and constantly dives on the ground for loose balls.

He did all those little things even though he didn’t score at the start of the season. Now, just nine games into his NBA career, he’s on offense.

“A lot of things happen so quickly,” McCain said. “You get faster when you leave a screen. You want to score, you want to make the right pass. But often (times) it disappears from the screen, makes the right play and slows down when I get into the paint. I love the middle class; I work on it all the time. So when you get to a bump, it fades, and you get to a bump in the middle. So I’m just learning how I’m going to play in the NBA and hopefully I’m learning quickly.”

The plug-and-play hunk hasn’t gotten off to a great start, but he could certainly turn out to be an excellent NBA player.

But as the 2024-25 season begins, McCain isn’t just showing his strengths, he’s already helped the Sixers win a game – which they hope will be the first of many.