In this week’s episode of Podcast P with Paul George Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, the 76ers’ star and his teammate Reggie Jackson discussed the impressive early-season performances of rookie Jared McCain.
Despite the team’s struggles, McCain has stood out, averaging 15.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 22.6 minutes per game.
Jackson praised McCain’s fearless style of play and his ability to maintain confidence despite the team’s challenges.
“I’m happy to see his success even amongst us not playing as well as a team,” Jackson said. “I enjoy seeing his progression and the way he attacks it. Honestly, I think I got caught up a few days ago talking to PG, there are things that are probably different about him, but watch his approach.”
Jackson went on to note that McCain’s success wasn’t a surprise, considering his strong performance during training camp.
“He was successful in camp, and it’s just a great addition for the coach to use him as a weapon,” he said. “We’re going to see him have a long career.”
George echoed Jackson’s sentiment, acknowledging McCain’s rise as a promising rookie. “Jared’s been awesome,” George said. “He’s getting more and more confident by each game. He plays with such swag, and he knows he belongs. It don’t matter who’s on the floor, he plays like it.”
However, George also made it clear that while McCain’s development is a bright spot, the team needs to perform better.
“To be quite frank, he’s been our most consistent player on the team so far,” George admitted. “But we definitely got to step our shit up because the young fella is– he can’t be our most consistent player.”
George emphasized that McCain’s consistent play should serve as motivation for the rest of the team to elevate their game. “We all got to step our sh*t up and match that energy,” George said. “He’s balling, he’s swagging out. He’s got a great future.”
McCain’s impressive performances, including five 20-point games and a career-high 34 points in one game, have been a rare bright spot for the 76ers in what has been a difficult season so far, with the team struggling to a 2-12 record.
