Jared McCain is headed back to the G League.
The Sixers announced Saturday that the 21-year-old guard has been assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats for the second time this season-a move that underscores the tough road McCain has faced in his sophomore campaign.
After flashing promise during a shortened rookie season, McCain has struggled to find his footing in Year 2. He’s now more than two months removed from a meniscus injury and a separate thumb issue, but the spark that once had Philly fans buzzing just hasn’t returned.
Head coach Nick Nurse gave McCain every chance to play through the slump, keeping him in the rotation for extended stretches in hopes he’d rediscover his rhythm. But the results never quite followed.
Lately, McCain’s minutes have been trending downward, culminating in a DNP during Friday night’s loss to the Cavaliers. Earlier this week, Nurse said a G League assignment hadn’t been officially discussed-but he also made it clear that the door was always open. Now, with the Sixers back at full strength and the rotation tightening, McCain finds himself the odd man out.
This isn’t McCain’s first trip to Delaware. Back in November, he spent two games with the Blue Coats and spoke highly of the experience, saying it helped him get valuable reps and confidence.
That stint seemed to plant the seed for future assignments if things didn’t turn around at the NBA level. And now, with playing time hard to come by in Philly, the Sixers are hoping another run in the G League can give McCain the reps he needs to get back on track.
He’ll suit up Sunday afternoon in Indiana when the Blue Coats face the Noblesville Boom, joining rookie Johni Broome and two-way wing MarJon Beauchamp. It’s a chance for McCain to reset, recalibrate, and maybe recapture some of the momentum that made him such an intriguing piece just a year ago.
There’s no sugarcoating it-this isn’t how McCain or the Sixers envisioned his second season unfolding. But in a league that’s all about development and opportunity, a G League stint isn’t a step back so much as a strategic pivot.
The talent is still there. Now it’s about getting him the right reps in the right environment to bring it back out.