76ers Insider: 'Except for Jared McCain' Everything Has Gone Wrong amid Embiid Rumors

Philadelphia 76ers fans aren't the only ones seeing Jared McCain's rookie success as the lone positive of the 2024-25 season so far.

"Except for McCain, everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong," a Sixers team source told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

McCain has played his way into the starting lineup while averaging 16.6 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the field through 16 games.

With both Joel Embiid and Paul George limited to start the season, his breakout performance hasn't been enough to stop the Sixers from falling to 14th in the East with a 3-13 season-opening record.

The Sixers' star trio of George, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey has started just one game together this season during last Wednesday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Maxey missed six games in early November with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, George missed the start of the year after hyperextending his knee during the preseason, only to suffer a bone bruise on the same knee against the Grizzlies.

Embiid, who was also out for the beginning of the season due to left knee injury management and a three-game suspension, has recently been sidelined due to swelling in his knee.

Maxey has played in 10 of the Sixers' 16 games so far this season. George has appeared in eight, while Embiid has played in four.

The injuries aren't the only problems the 76ers are facing. ESPN's Shams Charania reported after the team's 2-11 start that the Sixers had a "team meeting" during which Maxey called out Embiid for arriving late to team events.

Embiid went on to say that whoever had told ESPN about the meeting was a "real piece of s--t." According to Shelburne, sources said the report was "further exacerbating the tension and lack of trust in the locker room."

Then there is McCain, who saw his minutes increase amid injuries to Maxey and Kyle Lowry and has started six straight games for the Sixers. He has averaged over 25 points per game through those starts, including a 30-spot last Friday that led to him announcing his Rookie of the Year campaign.

The Sixers will hope for another big performance from McCain as the team prepares to take on the Houston Rockets without either George or Embiid. Both are set to miss their third straight game on Wednesday night.