After injury devastation, 76ers’ Jared McCain determined to return stronger

PHILADELPHIA — Now and then Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center, as Jared McCain sat at the podium before his 76ers downed the Los Angeles Lakers, the infectious energy that defined the rookie guard shined.

It was there when he talked about filling the basketball-sized hole in what began as a promising rookie season with lessons in Spanish and piano. It glinted in his determination to learn while sidelined by meniscus surgery on his left knee.

And it glowed brightly when McCain talked about an unexpected phone call Tuesday to inform him of his selection to the rookie team at the Rising Stars Game on All-Star Weekend.

That joy contrasted sharply to the call he fielded Dec. 15, with news about the damage to his knee that came as a shock. The darkness of those moments accentuates the passion that McCain used to lighten an otherwise dour start to the 76ers season.

“It’s obviously one of my goals to be in that game, and I didn’t know if I was eligible or not to even be in it,” McCain said Tuesday, his first conversation with media since surgery on Dec. 17. “But it was really cool to be named to that for the games I played before my injury.”

McCain was on a trajectory to be in more than just All-Star Weekend, working into the All-Rookie and maybe even Rookie of the Year conversations. In 23 games (eight starts), the 16th pick in the 2024 draft averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He shot 38.3 percent from behind the 3-point line, set an NBA record with eight consecutive games of three or more made 3-pointers and was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games in October and November.

That all came crashing down Dec. 13, when McCain hit the floor hard against Indiana. Originally checked for a concussion, he was cleared to return in the second half, playing 29 minutes. But as the game unfolded, he felt something amiss in his knee. When it swelled the next morning, he told team doctors and underwent an MRI. His agent broke the news about a lateral tear that would require surgery.

“I was like, oh goodness, this is not good,” McCain said. “They told me, and it was hard. I started crying. It was very tough to hear how long I would be out for and to know I worked so hard to be in the NBA and it gets taken away so quick.”

McCain spoke highly of the support he’s gotten from his teammates, including center Joel Embiid, who is still rehabbing a meniscus tear operated on last February. “He told me how to get through and helped me with that,” McCain said.

The rookie out of Duke, who turns 21 in February, has spoken at length of his devotion to ritual, which has undergone a renewal since the injury. Basketball is out for now, replaced with more meditation, journaling and visualization while on the sidelines. But less time spent on court means doubling down on the mental side, one of the attributes that may have accounted for his quick adaptation to the NBA.

He took time to heal emotionally after the injury. He hopes his attention to details, external and internal, and his taste of NBA action will guide him in preparing for next season.

“I knew right away that the mental side was going to be probably the hardest part of it,” he said. “I took some time away, and it was hard to watch it a little bit. You get frustrated sometimes, like why me or why did this happen? But talking to my family, to the people around me, I just know it’s part of my process and I know I’m going to come back even better.

“It’s part of the plan, and I’m excited that I get to learn new things. I get to watch from a new perspective, and I’m just trying to find the good in every situation.”