Jared McCain is Easing His Way Back to Becoming a Key Sixers Contributor

Jared McCain returned to the court for the Philadelphia 76ers this week.

After a long recovery from a knee injury, followed up by a thumb injury, the second-year sharpshooter finally landed clearance to suit up for the Sixers in their matchup against the Chicago Bulls.

“It felt amazing,” McCain told reporters after Tuesday’s matchup in Chicago, via Sixers Wire.

Rust and jitters were expected, considering McCain’s experience is limited. He had the opportunity to check in for 15 minutes off the bench. McCain put up four shots and failed to connect on all of them. He would finish the game with zero points, one rebound, and two assists.

"I was just happy to be out there. Just grateful to be able to put on the uniform. I was just making sure I had my jersey on and have my shorts on it was tucked in, but yeah, I was just happy to be out there."

Nov 4, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

After spending so much time off the court in a game setting, it created a lot of questions about McCain’s conditioning upon his return. The young guard stated that he felt “actually pretty fine,” since the thumb injury didn’t limit him nearly as much as his knee injury did.

Still, McCain was playing for the first time since his knee injury sidelined him for the majority of his rookie season. Considering the circumstances, McCain and the Sixers understand it will take some time to get him back in the best shape possible.

“I’ve been conditioning a lot lately. So I didn't feel too much with that. I think it's more just getting used to that contact with the knee, and then that was one of the first times with the sleeve over the brace,” McCain added. “So, just getting used to it. It takes a minute, so hopefully I'm not in it for too long, but whatever happens, it’ll be good."

McCain joined the Sixers as their first-round pick in 2024. He wrapped up his lone season at Duke and joined the team with a key role almost right away. McCain picked up eight starts and 23 total appearances. He saw the court for 25.7 minutes per game.

During that stretch of games, McCain averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game. He was shooting 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc before he went down.

Once McCain underwent surgery, the Sixers held off on calling it a season for the rookie. Eventually, they wouldn’t delay the inevitable. All focus went into year two for McCain, who was expected to have a full recovery. While he was gearing up to be back for the first day of camp, McCain suffered a UCL injury during a pre-camp workout. He appeared in one of two games since getting cleared.

The Sixers will be back on the court on Saturday to take on the Toronto Raptors. Barring any unexpected changes, McCain should be ready to roll.