OKC Thunder Guard Jared McCain Set to Debut vs. Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder do not list newly acquired guard Jared McCain on their injury report against the Houston Rockets, signaling his debut for the team as the Thunder get rotational pieces back.

Jan 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) reacts to his three pointer against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A dawn of a new era on Saturday might be too strong a phrasing for the Thunder's matchup against the Rockets, but not by much. The excitement around Bricktown for Oklahoma City's newly acquired guard is palpable after the Thunder shipped a 2026 first-round pick (via Houston) and three second-round selections to Philadelphia for 2024 first-round pick Jared McCain.

Everyone, since the Thunder announced the move on Wednesday afternoon, has been looking forward to getting the fresh face on the floor. After all this, the roster entered the season with 99% of their group from a year ago intact, and the only new faces to grace the hardwood this season have been Brooks Barnhizer and recently waived Chris Youngblood in a limited capacity on two-way pacts.

Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder get a shot in the arm as McCain takes the roster spot previously held by Ousmane Dieng, a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, who has been rerouted to Milwaukee and set to debut for the Bucks on Friday night.

OKC will battle the Houston Rockets on Saturday afternoon in a nationally televised affair as part of the afternoon slot on the ABC lineup. This is a matchup of the No. 1 and No. 4-seeded Houston Rockets.

On Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder released their initial NBA Injury Report for this matchup, McCain's name was noticeably absent. This signals his debut for a Thunder team that will tango with the Rockets down Ajay Mitchell, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams, opening the path to heavy minutes for the Duke product during his first game in Bricktown.

The Houston Rockets will be without Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, Jae'Sean Tate, and Tristen Newton for this marquee clash.

It will be hard to navigate life without Gilgeous-Alexander, who is sidelined through the NBA All-Star Break, but having McCain in the fold will certainly help.

The second-year guard has produced 1.15 points per possession in the pick-and-roll as a ball handler, while shooting 40% off the catch, shooting 52% on shot quality attempts that grade out higher than the 82nd percentile, on top of an overall 3-point percentage of 37%, even in a down year for the Sophomore coming off two injuries.

McCain has the runway of opportunity to crack this crowded rotation starting on Saturday to help lift this banged-up squad. It will be interesting to see what role Mark Daigneault gives the fresh-faced sharpshooter in his first game as a member of the Thunder after practicing with the team on Friday.

Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for coverage of McCain's debut and this entire season for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Bricktown Ballers attempt to go back-to-back.