It's no secret that OKC Thunder guard Jared McCain is in the middle of a severe shooting slump.
Over the last four games, he's gone just 1-for-22 from beyond the arc and is shooting a putrid 33.7 percent from the floor on the season as a whole.
Yet, despite these shooting woes, coach Mark Daigneault has still willingly played him roughly 25.0 minutes per night here in the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign.
The reason: He's doing everything else right.
Jared McCain playing the Thunder way with his all-around hustle
At least, that's what coach Daigneault stressed following Oklahoma City's 124-116 win over the Cavaliers Wednesday night, complementing McCain for having "a well-rounded floor game and being able to play both ends of the floor," abilities he says have "built a lot of trust."
The Thunder headman would also go on to praise the guard's "feisty rebounding" efforts, and noted that all of these attributes are what "buys you more minutes and more opportunities," even while his shots aren't falling.
Both the eye test and counting stats certainly back up Daigneault's lauding of McCain, as he's currently holding his opponents to just 42.0 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent shooting from deep, is boasting an impressive defensive rating of 107.9, and, over the last two outings against the Cavaliers, has pulled down 10 boards.
He's also been willingly sacrificing his body for the sake of the team, ranking fifth in deflections, second in loose balls recovered, and one of just two Thunder players who have drawn a charge this year.
So while McCain may be struggling to tap into his most dangerous skill set, he's displaying the kind of hustle and bustle that this Thunder organization historically loves to see from their players.
No wonder coach Daigneault is shelling out the third-most minutes in his direction amid OKC's early-season injury hardships.
Thunder superstar owns 30-point games streak against Cavs
Since the likes of Jalen Williams (ankle), Chet Holmgren (knee), and Cason Wallace (shoulder) all went down with injuries in just the third game of the season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been absolutely on fire in the scoring department.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they were forced to play the scorched-earth superstar twice in a row during this stretch.
After posting a ridiculous 43-piece against Cleveland on Monday, the two-time MVP went out and dropped 42 just two nights later.
With this, it now marks his eighth straight 30-plus-point game against the Cavs, surpassing Tracy McGrady for the longest streak against Cleveland.
Thunder fans have known for years just how consistent a player SGA is. Now, Cavalier fans do too.
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