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NBA Fans Buying Into 76ers Rookie Despite Loss vs Undefeated Cavs

The Cavaliers took down the 76ers, but Jared McCain had himself a night.
Justin Grasso|
Nov 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Nov 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ersCleveland Cavaliers

All it took was a little honesty to understand that the Philadelphia 76ers’ chances of making it out of Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a win were slim.

The Sixers, coming off of a Tuesday night loss against the New York Knicks, were going to miss a handful of playing on Wednesday.

As expected, Tyrese Maxey was ruled out of the matchup as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury.

While the other two All-Stars, Joel Embiid and Paul George, shared the court against the Knicks on Tuesday, they were held out of Wednesday’s game. The Sixers claimed that Embiid and George were both getting some rest due to knee injury management.

Typically, Andre Drummond would get the start in Embiid’s absence, but he was then added to the injury report, leaving him absent with an illness.

Down three starters and a key reserve, the Sixers rolled out a starting five, which featured Jared McCain for the first start of his career.

76ers Fans React to Jared McCain’s First Start

@PhillyUzi_: JARED MCCAIN IS THE BEST PLAYER IN THE 2024 DRAFT CLASS

@AidanDoc__: Sacrificing the first 11 games but you find out Jared McCain should be in the rotation and that he also might be a star…

@OfficialRomp: I’ve never been more wrong about a player then Jared McCain this dude is unreal

@dan_olinger: 10 games into his career and defenses are already trapping and doubling Jared McCain at halfcourt to get the ball out of his hands

@pickleman60: This is a great day for the jared mccain fanclub

On a struggling Sixers team, McCain has been a bright spot. He collected nearly 40 minutes of playing time on Wednesday night against the Cavs.

Putting up 26 shots from the field, McCain managed to produce 34 points. He notched the first double-double of his career by dishing out ten assists.

McCain wasn’t expected to have a rotational role this early on, but a shorthanded roster left Nick Nurse with no choice but to try him out. Lately, McCain has made it difficult to go away from him, even when the roster is back to full strength.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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