CHICAGO — The Philadelphia 76ers will welcome an important piece to their roster when they welcome Jared McCain back to the floor. The second-year guard has not played since Dec. 13 in the 2024-25 season when he tore the meniscus in his left knee. He was set to go for the 2025-26 season, but he then tore the UCL in his right thumb which required surgery.
After a ton of work to get himself back on the floor, coach Nick Nurse is happy to have him on the floor to give Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe more of a relief. However, the biggest thing Nurse is looking to welcome back to the floor is McCain’s energy and competitiveness.
“For me, that’s certainly a factor, but he’s also an ultra-competitive guy, and to have that spirit and stuff from him hitting the floor will also be a positive,” Nurse said pregame in Chicago. “Again, I think it’s really early stages. He hasn’t played a game in 11 months, so just getting him out there for a little bit tonight.”
With that being said, Nurse stated that McCain will be on a minutes restriction. That is obvious as he gets set to play in his first game in 11 months He had to check off some boxes with the medical staff before even getting on the floor.
“I think the biggest thing was he had to get clearance from the doctor and medical,” Nurse added. “That was done. We’re excited to have him back. Certainly on a restriction a little bit. I have no idea how that’s gonna roll out tonight. We’ll give him a shot, see what happens. He’s worked really hard to get here. So, I know he’s excited.”
In terms of what the Sixers will be looking for when it comes to McCain, it’s going to be about conditioning. When considering he hasn’t played in an NBA game in nearly a year, it’s going to be interesting to see what he can do in the likely 10-to-15 minutes he will play on Tuesday against this Bulls team. Particularly, a Bulls team that likes to get up and down and run.
“Mainly what his conditioning is like, first of all,” Nurse finished. “I think it’s always a challenge to get in a real life game. No matter how hard you’ve worked, and then just that he’s in the flow of what we’re doing, right? Because he hasn’t had that much either. So those are the two key things.”
Tip off from the United Center is set for 8 p.m. EST.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse gives expectations for Jared McCain in return vs. Bulls
