Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain was on track to be a Rookie of the Year candidate this season. (He was declared the winner in mid-November.)
However, his promising debut campaign will be cut short by a meniscus tear. On Thursday, the team announced its season was over.
McCain suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee on December 13 during a 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He underwent surgery to repair the tear and his return was indefinite. Meniscus repair 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. This usually leads to 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 have to try to keep things long-term, that’s the most important thing,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said shortly before McCain had surgery. via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “How does this affect the future of your career, which we hope will last many, many years?
“You never get a chance to come back and win Rookie of the Year,” he added. “It’s a big deal. You get that and you have it for the rest of your life, that at one point you were the Rookie of the Year. Obviously it’s a tough way to go out, not having that.”
Losing McCain for the rest of the season is the latest bad news in what has 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 handling of his left knee and fractured sinuses), the trio has played few games together. That contributed significantly to Philadelphia’s 15-20 record, which puts them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
However, McCain’s work was a bright spot. He achieved several milestones before being injured, including setting an NBA record with 26 triples scored in the first five starts of his career, breaking Allen Iverson’s team record for most three-pointers made. during his first 15 games with 37, and recording an NBA rookie record with eight consecutive games with at least three triples scored.
In November, he also scored 20 or more points in seven consecutive games, reaching 34 and 30 points during that span.
McCain, the Sixers’ first-round pick (No. 16 overall) out of Duke, was the Sixers’ fourth-leading scorer. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and shot 38% on three-pointers. His promising rookie season ends with 23 games.