Jared McCain's Progression Will Come At A Cost To The Thunder

McCain is set to grow a lot this upcoming season, but that means someone won't see the court as much because of it.

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City will have some tough decisions to make next season. 

Although the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t go back-to-back this season, they should still feel confident going into next year. The Thunder fell short in the conference finals and took the series to seven games, even when two key players, Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, were injured. 

Now, as next season approaches, the Thunder will be looking to continue their dominance and will be looking to take the throne once again. Many decisions must be made in the offseason about who will be taking the court for OKC next year, and one player might make it hard for others to get minutes. 

Jared McCain has shown out for OKC ever since he was traded to the Thunder at the deadline. He averaged 10.4 points on 46.2% shooting and saw 18 minutes of action per night on average in the regular season. McCain then showcased that he could do this on the biggest stage as well, as he averaged 10 points per game in 17.2 minutes per night during the Thunder’s postseason run. 

However, these stats don’t even tell the full story, as McCain wasn’t used a lot in the first two rounds. Then, in the conference Finals, he only played under 20 minutes in one game and had multiple games where he put up at least 20 points. His impact in the Western Conference allowed him to keep seeing minutes in big games, and now that OKC knows this, will it affect others’ playing time next season?

Oklahoma City was already guard-heavy, and now with the addition of McCain, that list just gets longer. With the Thunder handing McCain more minutes, guys like Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Nikola Topic didn’t see much of the hardwood at all in the conference finals. It would be one thing if they gave these minutes to an experienced player, but McCain still needs time to develop. 

With him still needing time to grow, his 18 minutes per game could rise substantially, meaning fewer minutes for others who are used to it. We won’t know how Sam Presti and Mark Daigneault choose to divvy up minutes for sure until we see it on the court, but you have to think that next season will be a version of this past postseason.

Some players might not even be with OKC at that point, but it still stands: McCain will continue to get better with playing time, and that playing time has to come from somewhere.