The Philadelphia 76ers were arguably the most snakebitten team in the NBA. It just got worse.
Rookie guard Jared McCain, a top candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, sustained a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee Friday and will require surgery that knocks him out indefinitely, the Sixers announced Saturday.
The exact moment McCain sustained the meniscus tear is unclear. He did leave the game against the Indiana Pacers at one point, but that was because of a fall in which the back of his head bounced off the court.
Regardless, the loss of McCain is maybe the worst blow yet for the Sixers, who have struggled to get their core triumvirate of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George on the court together. The trio has played in only three games together so far in 2024-25, and Embiid is now dealing with a sinus fracture that is to be evaluated over the weekend. He has played a total of six games all season.
The team holds a record of 7-16, and McCain was a significant reason why that record isn’t even worse. The 16th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft leads all rookies in points scored while shooting a strong 38.3% from 3-point range, setting numerous milestones along the way.
McCain had been starting at point guard with Maxey out, but was mostly coming off the bench in recent games. He was still an important part of the rotation, though, and replacing him will not be easy, even if the team has gotten used to playing short-handed.
As for Rookie of the Year, McCain was the odds-on favorite to take home the award, which reflected the productivity of this season’s rookie class as much as the strength of McCain’s play. With McCain almost certainly not playing enough games to make a run at the award, the field is now truly wide open.
Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs, Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers and Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans all loom as possibilities, but many more rookies could become top contenders with just one good month.
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