Jared McCain Is Hoping His Hard Work In The Offseason Pays Off

McCain will be tasked with a bigger role this year and has put in the work to excel at it.

Sep 28, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) poses for a photo during Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The young Thunder guard is determined to work as hard as he possibly can. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are gearing up as the preseason for the 2026-27 season approaches quickly. There are many questions up in the air for this season, as multiple young players will be expected to progress and take on bigger roles, and the offseason saw the departure of multiple Thunder players. 

Most of the young bucks seem like they are up for the challenge, especially Jared McCain. McCain was a late addition to OKC last season, as the Thunder traded for him at the trade deadline. McCain instantly became a big part of the squad and even worked his way up to seeing big minutes in the postseason. Now, as next season approaches, McCain will be expected to fill an even bigger role for Oklahoma City, and the young guard claims he has the work ethic to do so. 

“I've talked about this with my brother and my trainer,” McCain said Monday at media day. “I think I've always like tried to work as hard as I can. I think in the off-season, I try and -- like the word of the summer for me and my group was "adversity" and how can you recreate the adversity of a playoff series or how can you recreate the pressure of going into a playoff game.”

The Thunder are hoping that McCain working so hard will pay off this coming season, as he will be called to fill a big role, likely the role of Isaiah Joe. Joe was sent to the Pistons this offseason, leaving OKC’s three-point shooting weakened. McCain will likely be tasked with heading the charge this season and will need to play his best basketball to do so. 

While this might be a lot of pressure for a third-year player, McCain talked about how one of the Thunder’s stars helped him with this as well. 

“Throughout the NBA season, there's a lot of humbling moments,” McCain said. “And trying to stay even throughout those moments is huge. And that's what I've learned a lot from Shai, of course, from doing that. This off-season was definitely huge for me, and I definitely took advantage of it, I felt, and worked as hard as I could.”

The rising star will have the chance this season to prove how hard he worked, and if the hard work pays off, then OKC could see itself right back in the driver's seat for the whole season.