Jared McCain’s sophomore season hasn’t gone quite according to plan, and the Sixers are now walking a tightrope between development and contention. After logging a DNP-CD (Did Not Play - Coach’s Decision) against the Cavaliers on Jan.
17, McCain was reassigned to the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, for the second time this season. The goal?
Simple on paper: get him more minutes. But in reality, it’s a bit more complicated.
This isn’t uncharted territory for McCain. He had a brief two-game G League stint back in November, and despite showing flashes then, it didn’t translate to consistent NBA minutes.
This latest assignment had a similar rhythm - a quick trip to Delaware, followed by an immediate recall to the Sixers for their matchup with the Indiana Pacers. That meant skipping the Blue Coats’ game against the Noblesville Bloom that same day.
So, what’s the plan here?
Head coach Nick Nurse laid it out pretty plainly: the Sixers want McCain to get reps, but they also want him available - especially during this stretch of back-to-back games. “We got a double header here,” Nurse said before the Pacers game.
“We got to make sure our guys are available in case we need them.” That includes McCain, even if his role is far from guaranteed on any given night.
Nurse made it clear that a longer G League stint wasn’t in the cards - at least not with the current schedule. The team plans to reassess mid-week, but for now, McCain is in a holding pattern: not quite in the rotation, not quite out of the picture.
It’s a tough spot for any young player, let alone one trying to find his rhythm in the NBA. McCain’s numbers this season reflect that struggle - 6.2 points and 1.2 assists per game on 35.4% shooting from the field and 32.3% from deep. Those aren’t the kind of stats that force a coach’s hand, especially on a team that’s outperforming expectations.
And that’s really the crux of the issue. The Sixers are better than most thought they’d be this season, which makes it harder to justify giving developmental minutes to a player still trying to find his footing. McCain hasn’t had the luxury of a long runway to work through mistakes, and the Sixers haven’t shown much willingness to carve one out for him.
Still, Nurse continues to emphasize the importance of reps. “I don’t think he’s had much of a runway to play consistently,” he said. “We’re just trying to make sure he gets out there, gets some minutes.”
In other words, the Sixers are hoping McCain can figure things out on the fly - a tall order for any young guard, especially when the margin for error is razor thin. For now, his path to more consistent playing time remains murky. The Sixers are in win-now mode, and McCain is trying to prove he belongs in that equation.
Whether this balancing act pays off is still to be seen. But one thing’s clear: if McCain is going to carve out a role on this team, he’s going to have to make the most of every minute he gets - wherever they come.