Since joining on with the OKC Thunder ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, Jared McCain has quickly established himself as a quality contributor within Mark Daigneault's system.
From his smooth shooting stroke (47.8 percent shooter from deep since his arrival) to his pleasant surprise effect on Isaiah Joe, the impact the sophomore has had on the team has been quite apparent.
Yet, despite his impressive play and rising overall stock, Brian Windhorst recently suggested that he still finds it hard to believe he'll be a consistently utilized member of Oklahoma City's playoff rotation.
During Monday's edition of The Hoop Collective Podcast, the NBA Insider was hyping up the recent efforts of this undermanned OKC team in their 121-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, specifically noting that they were able to persevere with someone like McCain serving as a major catalyst coming off the pine.
"[Jared McCain is] another guy where I don't think he is gonna get minutes in every playoff game, [but] that sucker was out there getting hands on balls and hitting threes," Windhorst said.
Jared McCain may not be a constant in Thunder playoff rotation
Against the Cavs, McCain finished with 10 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal on 66.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc, and since landing with the Thunder, he's been averaging a sound 11.3 points and 3.2 rebounds on 47.9 percent shooting overall from the floor.
Though his production has certainly warranted praise and attention from fans, pundits, and coaching staff alike, Windhorst is still uncertain about how much of a factor he'll be come the postseason.
Due to no fault of McCain, Windy's absolutely right to doubt his involvement.
Simply put, this is more of an embarrassment of riches problem for the Thunder than it is a knock against the 22-year-old.
Right now, McCain finds himself coming across 18.7 minutes a night in Oklahoma City. While he's been making the most of this playing time, sadly for him, these minutes are all but guaranteed to be slashed once guys like Ajay Mitchell and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make their way back from abdominal strains.
Of course, this is only concerning regular season distribution.
As everyone knows, once the postseason hits, rotations are generally expected to be cut down to roughly eight players.
Considering they're running things back with virtually the same roster that took home last year's Larry O'Brien Trophy, it's safe to assume that coach Daigneault will be looking to roll out largely the same eight-man unit he utilized in 2025, meaning that McCain could very easily wind up being the odd man out come playoff time.