The Sixers Can't Let Jared McCain Get Lost in the Roster Shuffle

After a rookie season to remember, Jared McCain is having a sophomore season to forget.

Just like VJ Edgecombe has this year, McCain took the NBA by storm as a rookie last year. With injuries ravaging the Sixers up and down the roster, McCain took advantage of a bigger-than-expected opportunity early in the season to briefly vault to the front of the Rookie of the Year race. However, a meniscus injury prematurely ended his rookie campaign in mid-December, and he has yet to regain his groove this year.

McCain's sophomore-season debut was delayed when he suffered a UCL tear in his right thumb shortly before training camp. He missed the first six games of the year, and save for a brief stretch in late November and early December, he's been playing limited minutes ever since. His playing time has dipped even further lately—he played only 8.2 minutes over the past five games—which begs the question of whether another G League stint could be in his future.

Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports asked Sixers head coach Nick Nurse that exact question Thursday. Nurse replied, "I think it's always a possibility, but we haven't had those discussions yet."

Asked Nick Nurse if there had been any further thought about McCain getting G League time as his role continues to dwindle and he struggles to find his footing.

Said it’s always a possibility but “we haven’t had those discussions yet” pic.twitter.com/ZAiDTF3Xs3
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) January 15, 2026

Regardless of whether McCain stays with the Sixers moving forward or briefly rejoins the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers can't afford to let him get lost in their roster shuffle this year. Although he's competing for minutes in a crowded backcourt, his development is key to their long-term future.

What's gone wrong for McCain this season

Over a 10-game stretch early last season, McCain averaged 23.4 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 44.6 percent overall and 38.9 percent from deep. He drilled at least three three-pointers in eight straight games, setting a then-rookie record (which Charlotte's Kon Knueppel broke this season). McCain is also one of only four rookies in Sixers franchise history to score at least 20 points in seven straight games, joining Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid and Jerry Stackhouse.

McCain took advantage of the absences of Embiid and Paul George to put up those numbers early last season. Much like Quentin Grimes, his production was always destined to take a hit if the Sixers' Big Three could ever stay healthy for an extended stretch. But while Grimes is still finding a way to make an impact in reduced minutes, McCain has been scuffling. After shooting 46.0 percent overall and 38.3 percent from deep as a rookie, he's down to 35.4 percent overall and 32.3 percent from long range this year.

The Sixers did send McCain to the Blue Coats for a two-game stint in November just to help him regain conditioning after his long layoff. He told reporters that it was a "great experience" since he could "get the feel to have the ball in your hands for a longer period of time."

"When you're playing with Tyrese, VJ or Quentin, the guards, you never want to mess up what they've got going," after his first G League outing. Coming in and playing five or six minutes, it was tough to get something going, because you miss one shot and don't see the ball for a little bit... In these longer stints, you're able to play through mistakes and get out there and get some shots up."

Unless the Sixers ship Grimes out by the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, McCain figures to be fighting for scraps of minutes with the big-league club all season. Another brief stint in the G League could help him shake off some rust and regain more confidence, although it's unclear whether that's in the cards anytime soon.

Is McCain still a long-term building block?

Even when McCain was lighting the league ablaze early last year, it was fair to wonder how compatible he'd be with Maxey long-term. The two complement each other well on offense since either one can play on or off the ball, but they're at a major deficit size-wise on defense. Maxey is listed at 6'2" and 200 pounds, while McCain is 6'3" and 195 pounds with only a 6'3.5" wingspan.

Maxey has made significant strides on defense over the past two seasons, but McCain has a clear target on his back whenever he sets foot on the floor. Edgecombe, who's listed at 6'4" and 180 pounds and has a 6'7.5" wingspan, is far more equipped to guard up and defend bigger shooting guards or wings. Given the upside he's showed on both ends of the floor (particularly in crunch time!), Edgecombe appears to have cemented himself as the Sixers' long-term starter alongside Maxey in the backcourt.

Nurse has been willing to roll with plenty of three-guard lineups this season, and Maxey, McCain and Edgecombe have already shared the court sparingly. Lineups featuring those three have a scorching net rating of plus-35.1, albeit in the tiniest of sample sizes (83 total possessions). However, McCain figures to top out as a high-end reserve in Philadelphia as long as Maxey and Edgecombe are blocking his way into the starting lineup.

In that sense, the Sixers may have a similar conundrum to the San Antonio Spurs with De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. At some point, both the Spurs and Sixers will likely have to choose which two of their three backcourt players to build around and trade the other one. McCain is the obvious trade candidate from the Sixers' side, but they'd be selling low if they try to move him now.

The Sixers have their sights set on the playoffs, so it'd be easy to put the development of a second-year guard on the backburner. Even if they ultimately view McCain as eventual trade bait, it would behoove them to get him back on track to help maximize his future value. Along with the Los Angeles Clippers' fully unprotected 2028 first-round pick, McCain might be one of their highest-value trade assets if he regains his rookie-year form at some point.

The Sixers need to figure out how to help McCain get back to that level.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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