Jared McCain: Duke's Rising Guard with High NBA Floor
While his Duke teammate Kyle Filipowski will steal a lot of the attention, Jared McCain is a name to watch in the 2024 NBA Draft. Despite being best known for his TikTok fame, the Sacramento native has what it takes to be a high-end NBA role player, at minimum.
The Duke freshman is averaging 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and over a steal per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor, 41 percent from beyond the arc, and 84 percent from the charity stripe. McCain has been a big part of the Blue Devils' success this season, ranking top ten nationally.
On the court, McCain's burst helps him get to the rim, where he converts 62 percent of the time. While his top-end speed will not put him into the conversation for the fastest player in the league, but mixing his quick first step with his change of pace and direction makes the 6-foot-3 guard capable of getting into the paint off the bounce.
The 20-year-old's fluid handles help him play in traffic and remain patient against traps. Letting the play develop in the pick-and-roll is what allows McCain to get his offense some easy buckets. The Duke point guard orchestrates the pick-and-roll to the tune of 1.176 points per possession.
His heads-up, yet under control, playmaking displays just how valuable McCain can be in the NBA. Most teams could use an off-the-bench playmaker to organize an offense and score the basketball.
McCain cashes in catch-and-shoot looks at a 40 percent clip while shooting 42 percent off the bounce, which ranks in the 88th percentile. While McCain thrives in transition, he dominates in the half-court, working his troops into action and getting the ball where it needs to go.
Defensively, there are some concerns; on top of this size, his lateral quickness does not project to be able to keep up with NBA athletes (sometimes it does not stand up to ACC athletes). Furthermore, at times McCain gets lost on switches, or just is not able to fight through contact on screens. Needing to hide a player on that end of the floor at a premier position off the bench is not ideal, though not impossible.
In the 2024 NBA Draft, given his offensive prowess, McCain is worth taking a chance on as a bench floor general who will give enough effort on defense to funnel his assignment-capable help.
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