Rising star Jared McCain’s rookie season has come to a heartbreaking end, with the Philadelphia 76ers announcing the 20-year-old will miss the rest of the year due to a torn meniscus.
The injury happened in early December during a tough loss to the Pacers. McCain needed immediate surgery to fix the problem.
He’s healing well, but the Sixers aren’t taking any chances with their young phenom. They’ve decided to shut him down completely for the season.
It’s a huge blow for McCain, who was lighting up the league before getting hurt. He was the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year, putting up some pretty impressive numbers:
โข 15.3 points per game (best among all rookies)
โข 2.2 three-pointers per game (tops in rookie class)
โข 8 games with 20+ points
โข 2 games breaking the 30-point mark
The timing couldn’t be worse for Philadelphia. They’re already dealing with injuries to their big three – Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. McCain had stepped up big time during their absence, even starting eight games.
“I think we’ve got to try to keep things long term, is what’s most important,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse explained. “How does this affect him going forward in his career, which we hope is many, many years?”
Nurse feels especially bad about McCain missing out on the Rookie of the Year race.
“You never really get a chance to go back and win the Rookie of the Year award,” he said. “That’s a major one to have. You get that thing and you have it for the rest of your life. It’s obviously a tough way to go out, not having that.”
Word is McCain might be healthy enough to play by season’s end, but the team’s playing it smart. They’re thinking about his future, not just this season.
Even with his rookie campaign cut short, McCain has shown he’s got what it takes to be special. Basketball fans will just have to wait until next season to see what this Duke product can really do.
