Philadelphia 76ers Coach Talks ‘Disappointing’ Jared McCain Update

Jared McCain hinted at the idea that his rookie campaign was going to be cut way short. Once it was revealed the Philadelphia 76ers rookie was going to undergo surgery for a lateral meniscus tear, it was assumed there was a possibility his season could be over.

The Sixers weren’t ready to confirm that was the case right away. However, McCain documented his reaction post-operation. When discussing his feelings on day one of recovery, McCain dropped a hint that his rookie season was finished.

“This is terrible, I don’t wish this on my least favorite person in the world,” McCain said on his YouTube Vlog. “I don’t like this at all. I’m trying to find a reason of why this happened, but there’s no reason. It just happened, right? It just happened. It’s what I play, and we just got to get through it and know that God has a bigger plan for me. … I’m not playing the whole year? [It hasn’t settled in]. Still not. I don’t know when it’s gonna settle.”

On the night before the Sixers’ matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, the organization released an update on the first-year guard. It was confirmed that McCain’s season was indeed over.

“Jared McCain was reviewed today by the surgeon who performed surgery on his left knee on Dec. 17. He is progressing well and will be out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Further updates on his progress will be provided as appropriate,” the Sixers wrote in a statement.

As the Sixers prepared for their matchup against the Pelicans, the head coach Nick Nurse addressed the state of McCain at this point in his recovery.

“It’s certainly disappointing,” said the head coach. “He got that thing repaired, obviously, in the best interest of his long-term career and all that kind of stuff.”

“He was not only a great pick by our organization, he was really impacting the team in a positive manner. I think any rookie picked in that kind of range that comes in and kind of is at the top of all rookies is a credit to the player and to the organization as well. He was certainly finding a couple of different roles to play for a shooter, scorer, backup point guard, all of those kinds of things. He was starting to really get the hang of things defensively and get better there and all that kind of stuff, too. So, big blow for our team and a bigger blow for him.”

Nurse wasn’t exactly surprised by the decision to shut down McCain for the year. As McCain has been around the team more in recent days, the head coach got a sense that McCain could soon be preparing for a return for the 2025-2026 season rather than getting back out on the court to finish what he started this year.

“I kind of knew that’s where it was heading,” Nurse added.

“I’m just more talking to him about how he’s doing, when are we going to be able to see him around a little bit more, and when is he going to be able to do anything—because I got just some good ideas about things he could possibly do while he’s out—still got a little bit of time before we get to that point.”

McCain scored some minutes during the opening two-game stretch for the 76ers this year, but he didn’t have a role in the rotation just yet. With some injuries taking players off the court, McCain was gifted some more minutes. He took the opportunity and ran with it.

By November 8, McCain clocked a 30-minute shift on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers. Three games later, he landed his first start. From that early November stretch, McCain was a primary rotational player, even when the All-Star trio was on the court together.

Had McCain maintained his level of play throughout the remainder of the season, he would’ve likely ran away with the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. Once his injury diagnosis was revealed, that goal of McCain’s slipped away.

“He’s really disappointed. You guys understand that, right?” Nurse finished. “Like, really, really, really, really disappointed.”

McCain’s rookie season wrapped up with 23 games played. Throughout the year, McCain averaged 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists. The rookie shot 46 percent from the field and hit on 38 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

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