'Terrific' Jared McCain Praised by 76ers HC, Played 'Extremely Well' amid 'Tough' Game
Jared McCain struggled with his shot but still found other ways to contribute while helping lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 121-114 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
The showing earned praise from head coach Nick Nurse.
"I thought Jared was terrific," Nurse said, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. "This is a prime example of how someone can play extremely well, despite having a tough shooting night. He made things happen offensively. He stuck his nose in there and grabbed a bunch of loose balls.
"He poked a lot of balls away. He did a bunch of the little things that helped us tonight. He's still in the process of putting it all together. But you can see that he's getting into better shape. One of these night's he's going to make 7 of 10 from 3-point range. That's definitely coming."
McCain went 3-of-11 from the field and 1-of-5 from deep but still finished with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. His ability to get to the free-throw line helped him score in double figures for the second game in a row.
The 76ers made the Duke product a key part of their future when they selected him with a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but he played just 23 games as a rookie because of injury.
He has worked his way back into the lineup coming off the bench this season and is averaging 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting just 35.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep.
The shooting inconsistency is understandable for McCain considering he missed so much time as a rookie and is still adjusting to the NBA level. But he also shot 41.4 percent from deep during his collegiate career at Duke, so it is reasonable to expect better shooting numbers moving forward.
Nurse's comments hinted that he expects just that to happen with more experience.
If it does and McCain continues to impact the game in other ways, he will be an even more important player for the 76ers as they pursue a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
