What we are currently seeing from Jared McCain is not normal, and it’s okay to start saying it.

The rookie got his first-ever start on Nov. 13. He finished the game with 34 points, 10 assists, and six made threes. He then started the next six games for the Philadelphia 76ers. In those seven total games:

23.7 PPG

4.4 AST

44.4% FG

38.2% 3PT

59.3% TS

Throughout this stretch, I’d argue his most impressive game was his statistical worst: his 18-point performance while shooting 3/15 on Nov. 24 against the Clippers. This might sound weird to some, but a good sign of stardom is the ability to get to the free-throw line. There are almost no star players in the NBA who aren’t shooting free throws at an above average rate. McCain got to the line 12 times in that game, and he averaged close to five free throws per game in the stretch where he started, including averaging six free throws per game in his last four starts.

The biggest showing of McCain’s possible stardom was his performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers (his first NBA start). He had 34 points, but it wasn’t his stat line that was impressive, it was how he did it. A top-10 defense when it comes to defensive rating decided to run a box-and-one against him. They ran a defense you run in the playoffs against players like Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard, and many other stars before Jared McCain, who stepped on an NBA court just ten times prior to that game. 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said it perfectly, “That’s pretty high-level respect for a rookie.”

This wasn’t the only time McCain’s seen defensive respect, as he also did in his Emirates NBA Cup performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 22. When the lights were brightest playing in the NBA Cup tournament, he scored 30 points with six threes made on a sizzling 55% shooting from the field. Again, it’s not just the stat line that is impressive, but how he did it. The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Jordi Fernandez decided to run the same box-and-one defense. It didn’t matter.

It’s almost impossible for a rookie to continue this stretch throughout an 82-game season. McCain will likely hit a wall at some point, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t mean his start to the season is some sort of fluke. A 20-year-old will have ups and downs, especially when they are already at the top of the game-planning of opposing teams, but if he doesn’t, it’s time to have some uncomfortable conversations about where he matches up to other stars in the league. 

The film backs up his play. He is a very smart player, even as a rookie. He continues to find himself in the best spots possible without the ball. In my head, I continue to see the play I call “the kick, reset, and the three” that he did against the Orlando Magic. In a league full of ball-dominant players, it is so rare to see someone succeed as highly off-ball while also being on the path to stardom, which is where the Steph Curry comparisons come in. 

But how does this match up with the Philadelphia 76ers’ rest-of-season outlook?

When you think of the 76ers, you think of Joel Embiid. In the Embiid era, the Sixers have routinely struggled to find perfect pairings with the big fella. James Harden and Ben Simmons were good, even great players, but the lack of off-ball ability hurt them multiple times in the end. This is why there is massive hope for Tyrese Maxey, but now you add McCain to the mix as well.

Embiid is known to draw the most attention in the league when the ball is in his hands. We have seen Maxey and his ability to break out when the attention is drawn towards Embiid, and we have now been able to see the same with McCain in limited time. They have played five games together, and in those games for Jared McCain:

• 11 points on 4/10 FG and 3/7 3PT
• 29 points on 10/17 FG and 5/10 3PT 
• 20 points on 8/16 FG and 4/9 3PT 
• 20 points on 6/13 FG and 3/7 3PT
• 23 points on 7/16 FG and 4/10 3PT 

McCain has averaged 20.6 PPG on 49/44/100 splits when playing with Embiid on the court. The 16th overall pick was also named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November, and this is a sign of what’s to come. Despite the gloom and doom when people talk about the 7-15 Sixers, there has been a bright cloud, and that’s Jared McCain. 

His player comparison is hard. Many people point to Steph Curry and I’ve even heard Devin Booker. I think Steph Curry is a close comparison; he’s better than his brother, Seth Curry, but just not yet Steph Curry, simply because no one is. If I had to give a comparison, I’d say he is between the two brothers, but he’s getting closer to Steph than Seth.

It’s time to understand how important this is for the franchise. What felt like a trade chip at the beginning of the season to get a decent wing or player, in general, has actually turned into a potential star in the league. A player that changes the future of a franchise, and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time in a cloudy season for Philadelphia.

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