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Nick Nurse is Pretty Clearly Not a Jared McCain Guy
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The Sixers entered the season with the most guard depth they’ve had in decades.
Tyrese Maxey has ascended into a legitimate All-NBA caliber player. The organization selected VJ Edgecombe with the third-overall pick, and he has looked like a quality two-way guard of the future. One of the few bright spots of last year’s disastrous season was the decision to trade for Quentin Grimes at the NBA trade deadline. Grimes put up career-best numbers and then returned to Philadelphia on a one-year prove-it deal, to which he has made the most of thus far.
Lost in the shuffle of this guard depth has been last year’s first-round pick, Jared McCain. Across 23 games, the Duke product averaged 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds, while shooting 38.3% from beyond the three-point arc. When he was injected into the starting lineup, he averaged 23.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds and connected on 38.2% from the perimeter across this seven game stretch. McCain finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting despite the limited games played.
His rookie season was put to a halt due to a meniscus tear, which was the final nail in the coffin for the Sixers’ season, truly resulting in a free fall. He then got some more bad luck when suffering a torn UCL in his shooting hand in the lead up to training camp. The 21-year-old missed the first six games of the season, then failed to look like himself out of the gates and was even sent down to the G League in an effort to get back to the player he teased to be.
But what has become increasingly clear since he’s kicked off the dust and begun playing like himself is that Nick Nurse is not interested in creating opportunities for Jared McCain within the flow of play. His relocation ability and shooting touch are still tools that are leaned on when the situation requires. But there is not nearly the same sense of commitment to his development in the way that is the case for the guys ahead of him on the depth chart.
What is Missing in Jared McCain’s Game
Without diving too deep into the advanced analytics, the obvious answer is that McCain is not the caliber of defender Nurse would like him to be. Standing 6-foot-3, McCain is always going to be at a disadvantage in a league with more athleticism and size than ever. McCain has a strong lower body and has some flashes where he can hold up when attempting to be backed down by bigger opponents. But more concerning, he is vulnerable to getting lost off-ball and losing track of defenders when forced to fight through screens.
The expectation coming into the season seemed to be that McCain would be the guy that spells Tyrese Maxey for most of the on-ball opportunities. But Nurse has shown more trust in Edgecombe and Grimes in these chances. Some of this has had to do with McCain being too casual with the ball and trying to do too much at times:
Pretty much any way you look at it, McCain has to be a positive enough offensive player to make up for some defensive shortcomings. You would not be able to tell it based on the Sixers’ overall defensive metrics, ranking 15th in opponent points allowed and 14th in defensive rating, but Nurse has made decisions in a defensive-minded capacity all year. The Sixers have not provided him with the personnel to maximize this identity, but Nurse is still a defensive-minded coach at his core.
Current Breakdown of Guard Minutes
Pretty much any takeaway regarding the Sixers this season has to revolve around Tyrese Maxey. His growth and development have been a massive positive, and he has looked like a Top 10 player in the league this year. But the workload that he has taken on has been extreme. Maxey leads the NBA in minutes played at 39.9 per game. For reference, Luka Doncic is next in the league at 37.2 minutes per game. Maxey’s 917 total minutes played also lead the league, with Brandon Ingram in second place at 886 despite playing three additional games. Maxey’s 64.2 total miles traveled and 2.8 miles per game each also lead the league.
VJ Edgecombe is not far behind, playing 34.6 minutes per game. This ranks 17th in the league despite the rookie playing on a minutes limit due to a calf injury that popped up and caused him to miss three games. Edgecombe was second in the league, right behind Maxey, before the calf injury and time will tell how much he scales back up with the Baylor product now back to 100%.
Despite the contractual uncertainty with Quentin Grimes, Nurse has not been shy to give him extended minutes. He is averaging 32.9 per game on the season, which ranks 43rd in the league, and is playing 35.5 minutes per contest across his past 10.
Looking at McCain’s level of opportunity, he’s playing 18.0 minutes per game on the season, which ranks 10th on the Sixers. He played just 12:55 of game action in the most recent loss to the Lakers, while not seeing the floor for a minute across their continued third-quarter struggles. 28:50 is the most game time logged in a matchup this year and he has played 15:09 or fewer in seven of his 14 games.
Why McCain is Still Worth It
The reality of the “why” McCain is not seeing more minutes is that the Sixers still sit in a somewhat strange position as a franchise. Nurse is feeling the heat from last year’s disaster and coaching every game like a playoff game. If this was a team without any sort of expectation, there was a clearer pathway to McCain playing through his mistakes. You can understand the analysis of this current version of the young guard not impacting winning the way that is necessary, particularly on the defensive end:
But the pushback to this is that McCain will not return to the player he flashed by just sitting on the bench. The commitment to defense is admirable, but the reality is that under the best of circumstances, this is not going to be a good defensive team. The foundation of the Sixers’ defense has been dependent on Joel Embiid as the anchor protecting the rim. The early returns of the season have pretty conclusively shown that this version of Embiid is no longer there.
If the Sixers are going to win games, it’s going to be done by outscoring teams. McCain is still absolutely a plus on this side of the floor and will only get better with time. The short-term outlook of prioritizing defense is understandable, but the flashes McCain showed last season make it worth living with the struggles. In the wider view, figuring out exactly what McCain can be must still be a priority for the season. There are larger decisions that need to be made about the true foundational pieces of this backcourt, and McCain deserves the right to make his case.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.