Though there may not have been much to write home about for the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night, as they fell to the Trail Blazers by a lopsided final score of 123-103 on night one of their four-game road trip, Jared McCain's play certainly deserves its flowers.
While logging a team-high 31 minutes, the junior proved to be the club's most effective scoring threat outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, producing to the tune of 21 points on a highly efficient 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 57.1 percent shooting from deep.
From his smooth long-range stroke off the pass to his quick first step and high-energy drives with the rock in his hands, McCain was buying baskets in virtually every way imaginable during this face-off against Portland.
Now, even with the loss, this kind of production is still certainly worth a shout-out on its own. However, given his struggles in this department to kick off the campaign, it's truly a sight for sore eyes and a reminder of what McCain can provide to this Thunder squad.
Jared McCain finally snapping out of offensive rut with Thunder
It seems McCain has finally found his offensive rhythm after starting the year with shooting splits of just 34.7 percent from the floor and 28.2 percent from distance over the first two weeks of play, while going an abysmal 1-for-22 from beyond the arc over a four-game stretch from October 28 to November 4.
Now, over these last three games, the 22-year-old has reminded this Thunder team of just how lethal a bucket-getter he can be when in a groove, as he's currently averaging 20.3 points on a whopping 63.9 percent shooting from the floor and 47.4 percent shooting from the perimeter throughout this span.
As he proved last season, McCain is a real difference-maker for OKC when he's lighting up the scoreboard, as they went 10-2 between both regular season and playoff action when he registered 14 or more points in 2025-26.
This season, though his most recent efforts may have come in a loss for the Thunder, they've still managed to go 5-1 in such situations.
With the widespread injuries that have ravaged their rotation during these infancy stages of the season, Oklahoma City will need this rebirth in production to last for McCain if they wish to lessen the burden on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's shoulders and stay afloat in the title contention conversation.
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