The Oklahoma City Thunder have now entered the final stretch of the season, and they have one central mission as the playoffs approach: to get their roster fully healthy.
Although Ajay Mitchell has returned from the abdominal strain and ankle injury that sidelined him for roughly six weeks, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams still remain sidelined with their respective injury troubles. While there's no definitive timeline on the return of either player, one would imagine the plan is to have both ramp back up in time for the playoffs.
The Thunder's greatest strength lies in the sheer depth of their rotation, and they will certainly need everyone healthy if they want to have any shot at a repeat.
But as the rotation returns to full form, breakout performer Jared McCain could be in for a rude awakening. His role has already been reduced with Mitchell's return, and he will have to fight to keep his minutes as Oklahoma City's greatest strength continues to return.
Jared McCain will soon need to reckon with the Thunder's depth
When Oklahoma City initially traded for McCain at the deadline, the dominant line of thought was that, while the Duke product would not see much action this season, the deal was a bet on his upside over the remainder of his rookie contract. Instead, with both Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined upon his arrival, McCain jumped right into the rotation, providing a much-needed additional scoring and perimeter shooting presence off the jump.
Through his first 11 games in a Thunder uniform, he averaged 12.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists while knocking down 43.1% of his shots from beyond the arc. He received a steady diet of about 20 minutes per game through that span.
But he's hit a bit of a scoring slump over his last four games. With Mitchell's return against the Denver Nuggets on March 9, this couldn't have come at a worse time for McCain. On Thursday against the Boston Celtics, he saw just 11 minutes on the court, posting three points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
McCain still has a real shot at cracking the playoff rotation, especially because his skills as a spot-up shooter are sorely needed for Oklahoma City. But with Williams' return impending, his role could quickly be minimized to just that— a low-minute utility piece for the deepest team in the league.