The post Sixers take Duke shooter Jared McCain with No. 16 pick appeared first on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Camden, New Jersey — The Sixers took the shooter with the 16th overall pick in Wednesday night’s NBA draft.
The team acquired Jared McCain, a 20-year-old guard from Duke University, who averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his lone collegiate season.
McCain is an energetic, charismatic player whose defining characteristic is his jump shot, making 52.1% of his 2-point attempts, 41.4% of his 3-point attempts and 88.5% of his free throw attempts. He also had an impressive NCAA Tournament performance with two 30-point performances, including 8-of-11 3-point attempts in Duke’s win over James Madison.
While McCain’s outside shot is the most impressive aspect of his game, he has a lot of other strengths on the offensive side of the ball. Sam Veceney of The Athletic believes McCain “uses his shooting threat better than anyone in the country” and has the talent to be a driver and get where he wants to go. And while he probably won’t be the primary ball-handler, McCain excels in the pick-and-roll and doesn’t lose the ball much. He also likes to find opportunities to get in the open court and take jump shots.
At the NBA Draft Combine, McCain was listed as 6’2″ without shoes and weighed 203 pounds. He struggles to grab rebounds, but it’s fair to wonder if he could hold his own defensively in the NBA and what positions he could defend well.
Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey is also 6-foot-2, but coach Nick Nurse has long been open to using smaller guards alongside him. The idea of McCain shooting alongside Maxey and Joel Embiid was clearly a big draw for the Sixers.
Shortly after being drafted, McCain told ESPN’s Monica McNutt, “I’m a guy who wants to accomplish whatever goal I set for myself. I’m a hard worker. I’m going to do whatever I can to bring home a championship and just bring home a win. I’m very happy to be here.”
McCain is the Sixers’ first first-round draft pick since selecting Jaden Springer with the 28th overall pick in 2021. The team used the 23rd pick in 2022 to acquire De’Anthony Melton and did not have a pick in 2023.
The Sixers hold the 41st pick this year on Day 2 of the draft, which begins at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.
