Sixers Confirm Jared McCain Surgery, Provide Initial Timeline

While the NBA season hasn't even officially started yet, the Philadelphia 76ers were dealt their first blow in late September, as Jared McCain would injure himself at a training session the day prior to the team's media day.

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— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 1, 2025

The injury itself was a UCL tear in his right thumb, while there were initial reports that the 22-year-old could miss four to six weeks due to recovery, the Sixers provided a timetable in their announcement confirming the success of McCain's procedure.

According to Philadelphia's announcement, McCain's successful procedure was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) on Monday, with the team planning to reevaluate the 22-year-old in approximately four weeks.

The timing of the surgery shouldn't come as a surprise, given that McCain didn't travel with the Sixers to Abu Dhabi, where they're set to play against the New York Knicks for two games. Using the four-week timetable for an update, would see the former Duke star sit out of not only Philadelphia's preseason fixtures, but at a minimum, the opening set of matches in the regular season, which come against the likes of the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, among others.

Revisiting McCain's rookie season, and injury woes

Jared McCain drives in against the Orlando Magic. — Dec 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) in action against the Orlando Magic during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

McCain's latest setback comes on the heels of what was quite the promising rookie showing, as he would receive quite a good amount of playing time under Nick Nurse in the first two months of play, going on to average 15.3 points and 2.6 assists per game. His performances in November were enough for the former Duke star to be named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

Granted it wouldn't be much time after being awarded that accolade that McCain would have his rookie campaign cut short, as he suffered from a torn meniscus in mid-December. Since the surgery to repair that injury, the 22-year-old was focused on making his way back onto the court, posting training videos, as well as sitting out of the NBA Summer League in July, as he wasn't ready to make his way back onto the court yet.

It's safe to say that Nurse isn't sweating over options to fill in McCain's minutes on the court, as he has the likes of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, Kelly Oubre Jr, and Kyle Lowry to pick from at the moment.

For the Sixers themselves, their preseason will start on Thursday, as they're set to take on the New York Knicks for the first of two matches as part of the NBA's Abu Dhabi Games.

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