Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] might only be five games into his rookie NBA season, but he looked right at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round draft pick scored 19 points, seven more than his previous career high, in just 17 minutes after making two 3-pointers. McCain shot 8/16 (50.0%) from the floor and snagged four rebounds despite Philadelphia’s 124-107 loss.
The early emergence shouldn’t surprise Duke fans who kept up with McCain this offseason. The Athletic’s Tony Jones reported in October that the rookie was earning attention in training camp thanks to his performance, and with Philadelphia down several star players early on, he’s getting an early chance to prove himself.
After Saturday’s game and his 12-point performance against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, McCain is averaging 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists through his first five regular-season games. He’s shooting 45.5% from the floor and 20.0% from beyond the arc.
McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 41.4% from 3-point range as a freshman with the Blue Devils, scoring at least 30 points in two of his four NCAA Tournament games.