By: Kylan Watson

The 2024 NBA offseason officially began for the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. The biggest goal the Sixers have entering the offseason is to add more tough players who can hit three-pointers. With this as their focus, they had the 16^th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Additionally, everybody was waiting to see if Philly would even keep the pick. The board fell so perfectly for the Sixers brain trust as they were able to take Jared McCain with the pick. His versatility and ability to hit three-pointers makes him one of the best players in this draft class, and he is the biggest steal the Sixers have drafted since Tyrese Maxey.

In his freshman year at Duke University McCain averaged 14.3 points per game, grabbed five rebounds per game, and made 41.3% from beyond the arc. He is not an explosive player, but his ability to hit three-pointers is a skillset the Sixers need on their roster. Also, what McCain lacks in explosiveness, he makes up for by being able to move his feet and outwork his opponents. McCain continued to improve as a shooter throughout his tenure at Duke. He had a coming out party during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, scoring 30-points two times during the tournament. McCain should be able to improve from three-point range playing next to Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. The explosive duo creates a lot of wide-open shots for their teammates. He can surely take advantage of that and become one of the best three-point shooters in the league.

On what the Sixers are getting “The Sixers got a winner, a leader, and one of the best shooters in this entire draft class with Jared McCain,” said ESPN’s Jay Bilas.

McCain also was one of the toughest players on Duke’s roster and that is another skillset Philly needs. More dogs on the roster who can make plays and create opportunities for their team. McCain can certainly do that, he created so many more opportunities for a Duke team that was inexperienced at times. However, McCain would steady them and help the team stay afloat throughout the season. If he can bring that mentality to the Sixers, he will be an immediate impact player who fans will fall in love with. Specifically, McCain was a rebounding machine grabbing five rebounds a night as an undersized guard. Those rebounds would happen at times when Duke needed them the most. If he can make winning plays like that during the season and in the playoffs, he will be a pivotal piece in Philly.

On how prepared he is to play in an offense built around a center, “I think it’s a great transition for me. Obviously, playing through Flip. I learned to create space for him and just be able to let him do his work and find gaps and find ways to get open. So I think it’s a great transition for me,” said McCain.

He can also learn a lot from Tyrese Maxey, who can play a mentor role like James Harden and Ben Simmons did for him. If he can play with half of Maxey’s toughness this will give the Sixers, the most explosive backcourt in the NBA. McCain should be able to make opposing teams pay for giving him any space to put a shot up. It is only up from here for him and he should make an immediate impact on this team, who needs more impact players.