Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain was on his way to becoming a Rookie of the Year candidate this season. (He declared himself the winner in mid-November.)
However, his promising debut campaign was cut short by a torn meniscus. The team announced on Thursday that its season is over.
McCain suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee on December 13 during a 121–107 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He underwent surgery to repair the tear and his return was indefinite. Repairing the meniscus was better for McCain’s long-term prognosis with the injury. However, it also meant that there would be a longer recovery.
As I’ve reported in the past, Jared McCain’s surgery for his torn meniscus was a repair, not a removal. This usually means a better long-term prognosis, but also a longer recovery. The Sixers confirmed today that McCain will be out for the remainder of the season. pic.twitter.com/aDZRZJAKY4
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 10, 2025
“I think we have to try to keep things going for the long term, that’s the most important thing,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said shortly before McCain had surgery, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “How does this affect him in the future of his career, which we hope is many, many years away?
“You never really get a chance to go back and win the Rookie of the Year award,” he added. “That’s an important one to have. You get that thing and you have it for the rest of your life, that at one point you were the Rookie of the Year. It’s obviously a tough way to go out, if you you don’t have that.”
The loss of McCain this season is the latest bad news in what has been a nightmare season for the Sixers. The team and its fans had championship aspirations with the Big Three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George in the offseason.
But due to injuries (most notably Embiid’s left knee management and sinus fracture), the trio has played few games together. That has contributed significantly to Philadelphia’s 15-20 record, which ranks 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Still, McCain’s play was a bright spot. He achieved several milestones before being injured, including setting an NBA record with 26 three-pointers made in the first five starts of his career, breaking Allen Iverson’s team record for most 3s made in his first 15 games with 37 , and drafting an NBA rookie. record with eight consecutive games with at least three made three-pointers.
In November, he also scored 20 or more points in seven straight games, reaching 34 and 30 points in that span.
The Sixers’ first-round pick (No. 16 overall) out of Duke, McCain was the Sixers’ fourth-leading scorer. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 38% on three-pointers. His promising rookie season ends after 23 games.
