The Philadelphia 76ers did end up making their first-round selection on Wednesday night in Round 1 of the NBA draft after weeks of speculation that they would trade the pick for a win-now player.
With the No. 16 pick, the Sixers selected Duke guard Jared McCain who brings shooting to the floor immediately. He shot 41.4% from deep on 5.8 attempts in the 2023-24 season with the Blue Devils and will look to bring that ability to the floor right away.
Hopping on a Zoom call, McCain gave his reaction to being selected by the Sixers and the process leading up to the draft.
“We didn’t talk much,” said McCain. “My agent mostly handled all that stuff. I’m just excited to get there and learn more about it.”
Obviously, there was work to be done leading up to the draft ever since his collegiate season ended at Duke. He has been working on other parts of his game to prepare for the NBA game and to bring a different style to the floor for Philadelphia.
“I mean, during this process, I think just showing that I can be on the ball, make reads off pick-and-rolls and, obviously, continue to level up my footwork, shooting and movement shooting, but yeah, know it’s gonna be challenging with defending,” McCain stated. “I think that’s the biggest challenge I get thrown at me a lot. I’m just excited to get to learn more, and yeah. A new challenge is something I’m always accepting.”
McCain brings a flair to the floor. He can shoot the heck out of the ball, has an elite work ethic, and he is big on social media as he uses his TikTok account regularly and he has a sponsorship with Sally Hansen which is a nail polish company.
However, he vows to the fans that his focus is on basketball.
“I do the social media, the nail painting, I do all that stuff, but basketball is obviously my main focus,” he said succinctly. “This has been my dream since I was literally like five, four years old. So I’m gonna do whatever I can just to win and bring a positive attitude and just have fun, man. I’m just joyful with life and I try to bring that everywhere I go.”
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