In the middle of the Philadelphia 76ers’ storm of injuries and losses, Jared McCain’s historic production has been a radiant bright spot.
McCain has become a front-runner in the Rookie of the Year race, racking up high-scoring games better than any of his peers and displaying a veteran-like feel for the game. He’s emerging as a high-level player using traits that he can bring night in and night out. This is more than just a great player shooting the ball well. It’s a player who puts himself in positions to succeed and fighting tooth and nail each and every play.
Coming into the season, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Caleb Martin were the assumed starters next to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. They have indeed started plenty of games but neither has had the most impressive start to the season. Even with the possibility of a midseason trade to add another starter, the Sixers need to maximize their first five.
The Sixers made McCain a starter with their three stars out and kept him in when they all returned. There’s no reason whatsoever to change that.
Jared McCain must remain a starter for 76ers
McCain ranks 23rd in points per 100 possessions (among qualified players) at 34.2, putting him above 2024 All-Stars LeBron James, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, Damian Lillard and Julius Randle, plus other stars like Darius Garland, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Alperen Sengun and Jalen Williams. He’s got the ninth-longest active streak of 20-point games and his efficiency is just as good as the stars around him on that list.
The 76ers are significantly better on offense when McCain is on the court — 6.1 points per 100 possessions better, according to on-off data from Basketball-Reference. They score more often and more efficiently while tallying more assists and playing at a faster pace. They even rebound better on both sides of the ball. The rookie can elevate players around him and give Maxey a backcourt partner that elevates his game, which he hasn’t had since James Harden skipped town.
The main concern about starting McCain is his defense next to Maxey’s. Can a duo that small hold up well enough to make the boost on offense worth it? Yes — because of how high they can set their ceiling on offense.
The idea of starting a strong defender next to Maxey comes from the expectation that he would have a huge burden to carry on offense. However, McCain can lighten that burden, both by doing some of the creation himself and by giving Maxey a fearsome off-ball weapon. Defenders are learning the hard way that they can’t leave McCain unattended behind the arc, which will make it easier for Maxey to drive or move the ball if he draws the help.
Maxey has the talent to be a dominant force away from the ball, too, so giving him some of those easier reps will benefit him greatly. McCain reads the floor really well and he would also benefit from playing next to such a lethal scoring threat. He does a great job of moving to spots where defenses are the most vulnerable, so who better to have out there with him than a stellar catch-and-shoot threat?
Oh yeah, there’s also the Embiid component to all of this. He’s shown how his talents and that of a dynamic scorer can wreck defenses, so imagining giving him two. And if George can revert back to being the shooter he’s been for the last decade, watch out.
Neither Maxey nor McCain is a particularly great defender in a vacuum. However, both have shown flashes, with Maxey able to get into ball-handlers with his long arms and foot quickness and McCain able to stand up bigger opponents because of his strength. They simply need to avoid being a disaster on defense for the offense to make up for it. This will be especially important with Embiid still getting back into shape but having him as a safety blanket still helps them a lot.
Plus, while the Maxey and McCain tandem is not an ideal defensive backcourt, no other backcourt partner for Maxey stands out as a great defensive complement. Every other option is flawed in some way and none offers the upside on offense the rookie does.
Who should McCain start over?
The 76ers moved Oubre to the bench in favor of McCain whey they got their stars back. That’s the way it should be moving forward.
Oubre’s athleticism is useful for making plays around the rim, either as a cutter on offense or a shot-blocker/rebounder on defense. But his poor on-ball defense, infrequent playmaking and inefficient three-point shooting limit his impact. He can do more with less responsibility and, as he showed earlier in the season when the Sixers were devoid of creators, doing more results in way less.
With McCain taking the backcourt spot around the star trio, the four spot remains up for discussion. It wouldn’t be surprising if the option come playoff time is a midseason addition but for now, Martin and Guerschon Yabusele are the top two candidates.
Martin’s poor shooting has cooled the hype Sixers fans had for him but he still provides value as a passer, defender and shooting-foul earner (even though his efficiency from the stripe is below his usual standard and his current free-throw rate may be an outlier). If he can even get back to how he shot the last two seasons — 35.3 percent on 3.5 attempts per game — he can be enough of a shooting threat to play 30ish minutes per game night in and night out.
Yabusele seems like a great option — he can defend bigger forwards, shoot threes of the catch, score in the paint and keep the ball moving — but starting him might make it harder to use him as a backup center. Unless Andre Drummond’s season turns around or Adem Bona is further developed than previously anticipated, Yabusele will be needed at center when Embiid rests. Even if he’s needed more for the bench, he must get minutes at the four with the other starters.
The 76ers need to play McCain as much as they can. Although they don’t want to overwhelm him, he’s had to deal with a lot of team adversity to begin his NBA career and doesn’t seem fazed by it at all. The size of the dogs in the fight may be smaller in the Sixers’ backcourt than in other teams, but the size of the fight in those dogs stands as tall as any other.
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