The Oklahoma City Thunder may not have finished the job last season, but they still made some very important discoveries that will help them moving forward. One of those discoveries was Jared McCain, whom the Thunder acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers last season. He looks like a very valuable piece already.
McCain was integral to the Thunder’s success last year, particularly in their Western Conference finals showing. They were down a lot of talent, but McCain’s scoring helped keep them in the race, despite ultimately falling to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. Now, McCain’s scoring looks like the exact type of thing that could help take some pressure off Jalen Williams next year.
As Williams gets ready to bounce back after an extremely injury-riddled season, the scoring of McCain (among others) should alleviate some of the pressure on him to be his full self right away.
Jared McCain's scoring can help Jalen Williams ease back into things
After three straight seasons of playing at least 69 games to start his career, Williams only played in 33 last regular season. Then, in the postseason, he only appeared in five of OKC’s 15 games.
He was only able to play 21.4 minutes per contest in the postseason, and though he was efficient in those minutes, the Thunder weren’t able to get the most out of him like they have been able to in the past.
Luckily for them, McCain was there to step up. He stepped into a huge scoring role for OKC, letting it fly from deep range and even finishing some tough buckets in the paint (even against Victor Wembanyama).
McCain is still only 22 years old. He still has plenty of room to improve as a player, and it feels like he’s just scratching the surface of his ceiling. He should be a crucial player for the Thunder heading into the future.
Next year, in particular, he should have a big-time role in the scoring department, especially as Williams gets back up to speed. He’ll make transitioning Williams back into full-time play much easier.
If the Thunder needed Williams to come back and be 100% his full self right away, it would put a lot of pressure on him. But they don’t. They have elite depth.
And McCain’s scoring punch should play a huge role in allowing Williams to ease into things next year. Obviously, the Thunder want Williams healthy and playing as much as possible, but guys like McCain will allow them to take their time.
That’s quite a luxury to have.
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