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Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain was on his way to being a Rookie of the Year candidate this season. (He declared himself the winner in mid-November.)
However, his promising debut campaign will be cut short by a torn meniscus. On Thursday, the team announced his season is over.
McCain suffered the torn meniscus in his left knee on Dec. 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 there would be a longer recovery.
As I’ve reported in the past, Jared McCain’s surgery on his torn meniscus was a repair, not a removal. That typically carries with it 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’ve got to try to keep things long term, is what’s most important,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said shortly before McCain had surgery, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “How does this affect him going forward in his career, which we hope is many, many years?
“You never really get a chance to go back and win the Rookie of the Year award,” he added. “That’s a major one to have. You get that thing and you have it for the rest of your life, that at one point in time you were the Rookie of the Year. It’s obviously a tough way to go out, not having that.”
Losing McCain for the season is the latest bad news in what’s 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 offseason addition Paul George.
But due to injuries (notably Embiid’s left knee management and sinus fracture), the trio has played few games together. That’s contributed significantly to Philadelphia’s 15-20 record, which puts it in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
Yet McCain’s play was a bright spot. He achieved several milestones before getting hurt, including setting an NBA record with 26 3-pointers made in the first five starts of his career, breaking Allen Iverson’s team record for most 3s made through his first 15 games with 37, and posting an NBA rookie record with eight consecutive games with at least three 3-pointers made.
In November, he also scored 20 or more points in seven consecutive games, reaching 34 and 30 points during 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 3-pointers. His promising rookie season ends at 23 games.