Nobody saw Jared McCain’s start to the season coming.
Selected 16th overall by the Sixers out of Duke, the reigning Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month has been the team’s best player at times. He’d found himself in a bit of a slump recently but had previously recorded 20 points or more in seven straight games.
On Tuesday, McCain was not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game, but that didn’t stop him from breaking out of his rut. The 20-year-old was instant offense off the bench for the Sixers as he dropped 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from deep in an anxiety-inducing win over the Hornets.