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Jared McCain Gets G League Treatment & Other Sixers Injury Notes
By Sean Barnard
Published:
As has become par for the course with the Sixers, there are just as many storylines surrounding the injury report as on the court. The team is off to a 7-4 start to the season and have yet to see the team in its full form.
For starters, a major scare was avoided with Joel Embiid picking up hist first true injury concern of the season. The former MVP has missed four games due to injury maintenance already this season, but was held out of Tuesday’s victory over the Celtics for what was officially listed as “right knee soreness.” It is important to note that this is not the knee he had two surgeries on in the span of 18 months and continues to sport a brace over top of.
On the positive side, Embiid went through imaging and met with doctors to confirm that there was no structural damage. He has been ruled out for Friday’s matchup against the Pistons, but is not expected to miss an extended period of time. This is likely just an example of what is unfortunately the new normal for Embiid. The Sixers star stood at the podium during media day and discussed the unpredictability of his body. In this current example, Embiid woke up with additional swelling and soreness than was the case the night before.
It obviously isn’t ideal for him to continue to have these issues. But nothing truly changes in the management plan for the season. To some extent, it is refreshing to see this new level of honesty that is being expressed with his outlook in contrast than what has been the case for most of his career. It is also encouraging that there is a clear game plan in place for what is viewed as the best way to keep him healthy with the minutes limit and proactive rest days. Physically, he has looked better in every game he has played this season. Across the six matchups, Embiid is averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in just 23.3 minutes per game.
The recent swelling is a slight setback, but the overall takeaway from Embiid thus far has largely been extremely encouraging.
Jared McCain saw his rookie season end after just 23 games due to a meniscus tear, and saw the start of this season delayed due to a torn UCL in his right thumb. This thumb injury occurred in a workout in September. He made his season debut on November 4th, but still looks to be feeling the effects of each issue. McCain has played in just three games so far this season, including being a healthy scratch against the Toronto Raptors. The Duke product is playing within a 15-minute limit and logged 15:09 of game play in his debut as well as 8:51 and 6:48 in the two games he has played in since. Across the 31 minutes of action this year, McCain has yet to score a point. He is 0-for-9 from the field, with four assists, two rebounds, one steal, and one turnover.
Let’s not forget that before his rookie season ended prematurely, McCain was making a strong case for why he was a deserving part of the Sixers’ foundation of the future and running away with the Rookie of the Year. He posted averages of 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in just 25.7 minutes of action. McCain’s off-ball movement and quick release were eye-popping:
But he has not looked like any semblance of this player yet this year. McCain has been open about his struggles to adjust to the bulky knee brace he is wearing. His on-court success and style of play are heavily dependent on his quick-twitch cutting and mobility, and he has not shown the same level of pop this season. The NBA pace of play seems a bit quick for him at the moment, and he has looked like a guy who has not played live basketball in nearly a calendar year.
There is a bit of a chicken or the egg debate for his pathway to return to a normal level of play. On one hand, McCain is not going to return to the best version of himself without playing through the growing pains and adjusting. On the other, he has not looked like a guy who necessarily deserves to push for additional on-court time. Nick Nurse has been pretty clear on his intention of establishing a winning culture following last year’s disaster. This includes trying to make the most of every minute in every game.
As a solution to this, McCain saw the first G League minutes of his career during the most recent Delaware Blue Coats game. The 21-year-old played 20 minutes of action against the Hornets’ affiliate Greensboro Swarm. McCain finished with 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, and three turnovers. He shot 3-for-10 from the field and was 0-for-4 on three-point attempts.
This was not exactly a situation where McCain dominated at a lower level, but this was a step in the right direction. It is also worth noting he did not wear the bulky brace that has been seen on him in all three of his NBA appearances this season:
It is far too early to have any sort of panic about McCain. He has played in just 26 total NBA games to this point and it is a tough spot to be forced to miss preseason in his second year, especially given the level of roster changes around him. Seeing the ball go through the hoop and getting some expanded minutes on the floor at the G League level should do McCain a world of good in the long run. It is to be determined how regularly the Sixers elect to do this, but don’t be shocked if McCain is bouncing back and forth to Delaware at a regular rate over the next few weeks.
Once he is able to get comfortable and begin contributing at the NBA level again, there is a clear need for McCain in the Sixers’ rotation. Currently, Tyrese Maxey leads the entire NBA in minutes played at 40.3 per game. V.J. Edgecombe is second in the league in this category at 37.3 minutes per game. Both these players have been excellent this year and deserve to play major minutes. But this is a bit of an extreme level and not one that is sustainable over the course of a season. Edgecombe made his first appearance on the injury report of his NBA career and is listed as questionable for Friday night’s matchup with the Pistons with back spasms. Even if this is a transition season for McCain, where he works himself back up to speed, being able to spell the guards for a few minutes would be a huge positive for all parties.
Another key injury storyline has been the continued absence of Paul George. Last year’s prized offseason addition has yet to suit up this year and continues to recover from his offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. Any way you look at it, we are well beyond the timeline of what the expected recovery period would be for the surgery that took place on July 14th. But it is the right mindset not to rush him back and take the extra precautions if they are necessary. George has been a full participant in practice for several weeks and should be cleared in the short-term. He has been ruled out for the matchup with the Pistons, but everything is in play beyond this:
Side note- there has not been a new Podcast P episode to drop since July 28th.
Lastly, Dominick Barlow is set to make his return after missing the past nine games with an elbow laceration. The two-way forward was in the starting lineup for the opening two games of the season and provided a real pop at the power forward spot. Despite it seemingly being a fairly minor injury, Barlow somehow required a full wrap and sling:
The explanation from the Sixers was that the location of the cut was at an angle, so it would not heal without being stabilized. Regardless, Barlow will be back moving forward and look to pick up where he left off. The 22-year-old played 34:24 of game action in the season opener and finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a block in the season-opening victory over the Celtics. Nick Nurse showing the trust to plug him into the starting lineup in the season opener and play him this level of minutes is significant. He last took the floor on October 25th, but will be back involved in the front court rotation moving forward.
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.