Former Duke basketball star and Philadelphia 76ers rookie [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] needed to exit a Wednesday NBA preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets after he landed hard on his back during a rebound effort, an anxious scene that resulted in the team training staff helping him off the court.
According to NBA reporter Chris Haynes on Thursday, McCain was diagnosed with pulmonary contusions (bruises on his lungs) but he was safely discharged from the hospital.
“Will be re-evaluated today for concussion but there’s optimism the rookie avoided a serious injury,” Haynes wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
McCain, a first-round pick in this summer’s NBA draft, had impressed the Philadelphia staff with his offseason performance thus far. While top names like former MVP Joel Embiid, former MVP finalist Paul George, and 2023-24 Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey would assuredly keep McCain out of the starting five, he was expected to get consistent minutes and still should if he makes an easy recovery.