Jared McCain stood between the media scrum, fielding questions after his morning shootaround. It was Monday, March 23, seven hours before the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off against the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder.
Out of context, this was a routine media availability for the second-year guard out of Duke. But that wasn’t the case, as McCain was preparing for his first return to Philly after being dealt to the Thunder on February 4.
“It’s definitely different," McCain said. "Never done it before. Even just arriving here, it was very weird just going to the hotel, and being on the opposing side, but happy to be back. Very nostalgic feeling. Yeah. So, it’s nice."
Playing against the team that drafted you with the 16 pick just two summers ago would obviously feel “different”, but that’s about where the difference ends.
McCain had only played in 60 games for the Sixers, but that was plenty of time to acquaint himself with the Xfinity Mobile Arena from a shooting perspective. That much was clear from the moment he checked in Monday night.
One minute and 42 seconds into his first rep as a visitor in the arena, McCain was already on the scoreboard. Off a chase action with Jaylin Williams, McCain drifted deep into the left corner before rising and firing to hit his first three of the game.
On the next possession, he raced up the left side of the court with the ball after a VJ Edgecombe miss. He stopped just above the left hash and passed it to Williams again. Another quick give and go, this time between the five-hole, and McCain was ripping the cords again from the top of the key.
As he got back on defense, his arms flexed at his sides, he barked at the home crowd.
Those first two shots carried weight not only for McCain but also for the 76er fans. On the Thunder’s end, it was a perfect representation of how he would fit in with his new team. On the Sixers’ side, it was a cruel realization that they didn’t actualize his capabilities as a movement shooter.
Thunder clearly using Jared McCain in ways Sixers never could
This isn’t the first time that Sam Presti has transformed a player’s career through the trade deadline.
Now, this is not to say McCain will develop into an MVP-caliber player as OKC saw with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, nor is this suggesting he'll be the next Klay Thompson or Ray Allen.
However, what's undeniable is that Presti recognized a glaring weakness in his team’s attack, three-point shooting, and addressed it at the deadline.
Most importantly, he identified how McCain’s movement shooting would complement OKC’s dribble-hand-off actions, something Philadelphia almost completely overlooked.
This season, the 76ers are one of the most efficient teams in handoff situations, according to NBA Stats. While they rank near the bottom of the league in frequency of this play type, that speaks more to Embiid’s lack of availability (as Philly was near the top of the league in handoffs when he was at the peak of his powers) than their unwillingness to initiate such actions.
With that in mind, the fact that McCain only recorded 16 total handoff possessions during his Philadelphia tenure is mind-boggling considering what he’s done in OKC. In 19 games with his new team, not only has he doubled the number of those possessions (33), but he also ranks in the 98th percentile in efficiency.
While he didn’t necessarily light up his former team Monday night (13 points on 3-for-7 shooting from deep), his 2-for-3 shooting on handoff situations was enough to leave Philly fans agonizing over what could’ve been with one of the most dynamic hubs in the game, not named Nikola Jokić.
Jared McCain could be a major factor for Thunder come playoffs
McCain's budding hand-off chemistry with OKC's front line and general off-ball movement will bolster the Thunder's offensive attack come postseason.
Of his 107 three-point attempts as a Thunder, 68 have been off the catch, and 16 have been in DHO situations. His knack for relocating to open areas once the defense collapses and ability to quickly get on balance off the move provide a deadly combo that the Thunder just didn’t have their last two playoff runs.
Yes, Isaiah Joe was and still is a great off-the-move shooter, but McCain’s strength and balance, specifically, provide OKC with a unique release valve once things get muddied down in the postseason.
Just think about the chaos that will ensue as the ball finds Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with a dwindling shot clock, and McCain is sprinting to set a screen. Only he doesn’t set it and instead pops out for a wide-open triple because who is going to leave the most dominant guard scorer since Michael Jordan?
Or the next time down, McCain holds the screen, and Gilgeous-Alexander gets a clear lane to drive because who wants to leave a 40-plus percent shooter open from deep two times in a row?
Guard-to-guard screening or dribble handoffs aren’t foreign in the panhandle state, but McCain's physical attributes, deadeye shooting, and “let it fly” mentality will diversify how OKC counters teams loading up to SGA.
Practically from any angle or situation, McCain can locate the rim and make string music.
He may only be in his second year and has no playoff experience, but Monday night, in a way, he demonstrated what McCain could do in high-pressure or emotional situations.
He wasn't shy with his looks, and he wasn't shy of letting the crowd know that they would rue the day they traded one of the best movement shooters in the association.