Here’s some Jared McCain news as he eases into his NBA career. First off, he will start his NBA career against Milwaukee on October 23rd. He’ll be coming off the bench if he gets in.
His first job is to crack the rotation and that may take a while. Philly is a solid team and moving up won’t happen right away. But as we saw at Duke, McCain has a beautiful shot and at some point, all things being equal, that will get him on the court.
The other thing that’s likely to get him on the court is his attitude. He’s obviously a hard worker but what’s particularly admirable about his NBA ascent is that he’s actively seeking advice and asking veterans questions.
This is the right approach: “Kyle [Lowry] is somebody I watched his… NBA highlights, just being a bigger, stockier guard. Tyrese [Maxey] is a younger player that I can learn from, and Joel [Embiid] as an MVP, I can learn just any ins and outs. Paul George, Reggie Jackson, the whole lineup is just people I can learn from. That’s really what I’m most excited for. Even if I don’t play, whatever happens, I’m just here to learn as much as possible so I can take it as far as I can.”
When Philly picked McCain, it kind of made one think…oh no, he’s going to have to deal with Philly fans. Those people booed Santa.
Thing is that when you’re relentlessly positive like McCain is and you show up and work, people will notice that too. Our guess is that he wins the fans over, much like Jose Alvarez has with the New Orleans fans base. McCain is going to be irresistible.