Leading up to the NBA Draft, there were countless rumors of the Philadelphia 76ers looking to trade their pick. Despite this, they ended up holding on to the selection and making themselves. Their decision left one analyst infuriated.
With the 16th overall pick, the Sixers went with Jared McCain. The 6-foot-3 guard spent the past year playing at Duke, where he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
Following the Sixers’ selection of McCain, Bill Simmons took to X to share his thoughts. He applauded Daryl Morey for the pick and admitted he didn’t want the Duke guard to fall to Philly or the Miami Heat. It’s worth noting that Simmons is widely known for his strong fandom of the Boston Celtics.
McCain at 16 to Philly = incredible pick. Was hoping he wouldn’t go to Miami or Philly.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 27, 2024
Though considered slightly undersized, McCain put together a strong season in college. Across 36 games, he posted averages of 14.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.1 SPG. McCain was also an efficient three-point shooter, Knocking down 41.4% of his attempts on high volume.
From a fit perspective, McCain fits the mold of players the Sixers have tried to put around their star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. He is a tenacious defender and is capable of knocking down threes at a high rate. One concern of this selection is the idea of deploying a pair of smaller guards together in the backcourt.
With his two-way skill set, McCain has a chance to compete for a spot in Nick Nurse’s rotation come training camp. That said, it will depend how the roster shakes up following free agency. At the moment, the Sixers have the second-most open cap space in the league with just over $61 million.