WILMINGTON, Del. — The Philadelphia 76ers made the decision to send second-year guard Jared McCain to the G League to get some reps with their affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. The No. 16 pick of the 2024 draft is working his way back from a torn meniscus in his left knee that ended his rookie season after 23 games and then a torn UCL in his right thumb.
When McCain made his return to the floor on Nov. 4 in Chicago, it was his first game in nearly a year–December of 2024. He ended up playing in three games with the Sixers before–all in short stints–before the Sixers decided to send him down to Delaware to get the necessary court time he needs to get back in the swing of things.
McCain played 20 minutes in his second G League game on Saturday as he went for 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting and 1-for-4 from deep with six assists. He only played in the first half, but it was a good showing by him.
“I feel great,” McCain said after the Blue Coats fell to the Greensboro Swarm. “I feel definitely getting back to my normal self. Getting used to playing without the brace. Just a smaller little thing on my leg, but feel a lot better. Feel a lot better. Just being able to play up and down and get a breather in.”
With the brace off his knee, it has allowed McCain to be a bit more mobile out on the floor which has made his life easier and allowed him to be a bit more mobile. He began looking like himself again on Saturday which has allowed him to take another step forward in his recovery.
“Definitely,” McCain continued. “It’s definitely still a little weaker, but it’s gonna come back. I just gotta keep redoing those reps. A lot of my stuff is balance work. That’s kinda how I play. Just getting back to just having the same feel in both legs is when I’ll feel 100%.”
The G League isn’t exactly where McCain thought he’d be in his second season in the league, but it is his current situation as he works his way back from a serious injury. It hasn’t been easy, but the second-year guard accepts his situation and is working diligently to get back to the Sixers.
“I mean, when you get the call, of course you wanna just play,” McCain explained. “Of course, you wanna play at the highest level with the Sixers, but to get the conditioning, to get the feel to have the ball in your hands for a longer period of time, it’s nice just to get down here. It’s been a great experience.”
Most of all, McCain knows he has to give himself grace. He is working his way back not just one, but two serious injuries. That is a lot to overcome and he will eventually look to work his way back into the rotation for Philadelphia sooner rather than later.
“It’s definitely tough,” McCain finished. “A lot of it is just I talked to my psychologist again, my family a lot. A lot of it is just looking at the film and seeing it from a different perspective. Maybe not judging it off of makes or misses. Just seeing how I’m feeling, how I’m playing, how hard am I working? Just stuff I can control. That’s all I’ve been trying to do since college, since high school for real. That’s been the main thing for giving myself grace throughout this whole process.”
The Sixers will hope that McCain can return closer to his normal self when his G League stint does come to an end.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers’ Jared McCain gives update on his recovery amid G League stint
