PHILADELPHIA — Jared McCain didn’t let the fear linger too long after he literally hit the court last Wednesday night.
McCain had to be helped off the floor at the Wells Fargo Center after a scary fall in the fourth quarter of an exhibition game against Brooklyn, then spent the evening in a hospital being evaluated for lung bruising and a possible concussion.
He didn’t have the latter, and some rest and breathing exercises were all the 76ers’ first-round pick needed to repair the lung issue, making him available for Wednesday’s season opener against Milwaukee.
“I always try to just trust my process,” McCain said at shootaround. “Every time, I know it happened for a reason. So there was a little bit, obviously, you worked so hard for this moment, but I knew I was going to come back, and if I came back, I know it’s going to be better.”
McCain, the 16th overall pick in June, impressed with a solid preseason, though everything in the best laid plans of mice, men and Nick Nurse shifted with the absence to start the season of Paul George and Joel Embiid. That could open moments for the point guard to get looks, behind starter Tyrese Maxey and alongside backcourt veterans Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson.
Nurse believes in the former Duke guard’s abilities to contribute early.
“I think the biggest thing he has is a tremendous amount of confidence,” Nurse said. “He is not afraid out there. He’s not afraid to pull the trigger. Might overpull the trigger a little bit, but that’s always better. He really believes in his abilities, and he fights like heck out there. He’s got a good basketball IQ.”
McCain will get chances, Nurse said. It may take time, especially early in the season, and it may require trips to Delaware if minutes are not forthcoming in the NBA. But Nurse likes what the Sacramento native brings, in his speed and ability to create.
It’ll come with a bump in game speed and in tactical complexity of sets, but the bubbly guard is expecting that.
“I think that the game is definitely faster, a lot faster than college in general, but even faster than summer league,” he said. “So it’s just up and down. I’ve got to know how to rotate on the fly. You’ve got to know exactly what you’re doing in a split second, and it could switch very quickly. But I think talking to my coaches, it’s going to slow down. It takes time, but I’ll learn.”
Everything is up for grabs until George returns and the Sixers settle into a schedule with Embiid’s load management. It’s too early to be all hands on deck, but without those two pieces, combinations and rotations remain a work in progress.
McCain will get a chance to start that process Wednesday, a milestone he’ll celebrate.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for literally my whole life,” he said. “So you start with the preseason, getting drafted, everything leads us to this moment. So a lot of excitement, but I definitely got to calm it down and make sure I know the game plan and know what’s going on tonight.”
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