Jared McCain plans to be back on the court for training camp after a knee injury cut his promising rookie season short.
“Right now, I’m on pace,” McCain said Tuesday during the unveiling of new Xfinity Mobile Arena signage at the former Wells Fargo Center.
The 21-year-old guard was on fire to start his NBA career before suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee during a December game against the Pacers.
McCain’s rookie numbers were impressive. He averaged 15.3 points in just 23 games while shooting a solid 46% from the floor and 38.3% from beyond the arc.
His performance was so good he earned NBA Rookie of the Month honors in November.
He even exploded for 34 points and 10 assists in a single game against Cleveland on November 13.
The Sixers selected McCain with the 16th pick in the 2024 draft after he averaged 14.3 points and 5 rebounds during his time at Duke.
But his injury was just one piece of Philadelphia’s frustrating season. The team’s star trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George spent most of the year in street clothes instead of uniforms.
Those three played just 14 games together, going a mediocre 7-7 in those matchups.
Coach Nick Nurse was forced to use a staggering 55 different starting lineups throughout the season – the most in the league.
The result? A dismal 24-58 record, including a brutal 5-31 stretch to close out the year.
It’s especially painful considering about 77% of the team’s payroll ($146 million) is tied up in those three stars.
While there’s no official timeline for McCain’s return, he’s making steady progress. The Sixers have preseason games in Abu Dhabi on October 2 and 4, with their regular season opener coming October 22 against the Boston Celtics.
McCain is hopeful he’ll be ready by then.
“I think right now, it’s just kind of taking it day by day,” he said. “I’m getting on-court, doing a lot of stuff, a lot of live stuff, but I still have to talk to them about exactly if I’m free for everything, but I’m definitely getting there.”
