The only saving grace of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ nightmare start to the 2024-25 season has been the stellar play of rookie point guard Jared McCain. McCain has strung together quite a nice stretch; heading into their Friday night NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets, the 20-year-old guard has scored 20 or more points in six consecutive games. And it is simply going swimmingly for the 16th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, as he had another stellar outing in the 76ers’ much-needed 113-98 win over the Nets.
McCain, once again, looked like the 76ers’ best player on the night, even with Tyrese Maxey lining up alongside him in the backcourt. The Duke product scored 30 points on an efficient 11-20 shooting from the field, and he added five rebounds, three assists, and two steals — adding even more fuel to the hype train surrounding him amid this torrid stretch.
Ever the confident player, McCain is reaching an all-time high in his confidence level — as he has his eyes set on taking home the Rookie of the Year award, emphatically declaring as such after nailing a triple late in the 76ers’ win.
“I’m the rookie of the year!” McCain exclaimed.
At this point, it’s difficult to argue otherwise. McCain has been phenomenal ever since the 76ers gave him a bigger role, and there is no taking his starting spot back even when the team’s veteran stars return. There may have been a lot of talk that the 2024 NBA Draft class was one of the worst in recent memory, but McCain is dispelling that notion with each passing game.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George both nursing knee injuries, McCain will have to keep this train rolling if the 76ers were to somehow return to the playoff picture. And given how well McCain has answered the call, he has done more than enough to earn the benefit of the doubt.
Who is 76ers rookie Jared McCain’s biggest competition for the award?
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Jared McCain, indeed, should be the favorite to take home the Rookie of the Year award for this season. After all, the 76ers rookie doesn’t have much competition anyway.
McCain’s closest competitor for the award should be Dalton Knecht, who, much like McCain, has earned a starting spot on his team, the Los Angeles Lakers. Stephon Castle should also be up there now that he’s also consistently stringing together good games for the San Antonio Spurs. But if the 76ers rookie keeps this up, he could be in line to be the seventh player in NBA history to win the ROTY award unanimously.