The 76ers' injury woes are getting an early start this year.
After the organization's 2024-25 campaign was almost completely derailed due to injuries suffered up and down the roster, the team announced on Thursday that promising young guard Jared McCain suffered a torn UCL in the thumb of his shooting hand. Philadelphia is set to leave the country in a few days to play in preseason games overseas.
Per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, McCain and the Sixers are working with specialists to "decide how they will proceed."
It's a brutal break for McCain. It is less severe than the meniscus tear that wound up requiring surgery and ending his rookie season last year, which is a positive. But he and the Sixers were really hoping his sophomore season would get off to a strong start. It will also put a lot of pressure on No. 3 pick V.J. Edgecombe to play big minutes early in his career.
McCain showed intriguing flashes of talent as a rookie. He averaged 15.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game, crucially while shooting 38.3% from three-point range on nearly six attempts per game. The 16th pick in the 2024 draft, McCain quickly proved he could score at the NBA level and his talents seemed like an interesting fit, in a good way, with Tyrese Maxey. More than anything, McCain provided hope to a Sixers franchise that has really been lacking it in recent years.
But fate is cruel. Fans will have to wait a while yet to see if McCain can build off his shortened rookie season to become a contributor as Philly attempts to bounce back.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Promising Sixers Guard Jared McCain Suffers Another Injury Ahead of Sophomore Campaign.
