Jared McCain showed the talent that Duke fans saw all of last season on Tuesday night, scoring 21 points in a two-point NBA Summer League victory.
NBA fans got to see the [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] that Duke fans recognized from the 2023-24 season on Tuesday night.
McCain finished with a team-high 21 points for the Philadelphia 76ers in a 92-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, including a perfect nine-for-nine from the free-throw line, during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
The former Blue Devils star and Philadelphia’s first-round draft pick made his last two free throws in the final 10 seconds, building a three-point lead that proved insurmountable.
McCain added seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal to his final stat line. He made five of his 16 attempts from the floor, including two of his eight 3-point attempts.
The performance comes a week after McCain scored 15 points in his NBA Summer League debut. Already one of the most popular rookie prospects in the league thanks to his millions of social media followers, fans continue to get more excited about his fit alongside Philadelphia stars like Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and new free agent signing Paul George.
The Sixers’ best players are about as good as they have been in several decades. Their depth? Less so.
Are the new-look Philadelphia 76ers with star forward Paul George a real threat to the Boston Celtics to win the 2025 NBA title? After picking up PG13 this offseason along with Caleb Martin, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon, the Sixers’ best players are about as good as they have been in several decades.
But the depth after their top seven players is shaky at best (and that is being generous if we are being honest), and some of the same injury-prone issues that have plagued Philly in other versions look likely to recur in a new crop of stars (and Joel Embiid). To talk it over, the hosts of the CLNS Media “The Big Three NBA” podcast, A. Sherrod Blakely, Gary Washburn, and Kwani Lunis, sat down with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.
Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.
Former UCLA center Adem Bona has reportedly agreed to sign a four-year, $8 million rookie contract with the 76ers.
Former UCLA center Adem Bona has reportedly agreed to sign a four-year, $8 million rookie contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The organization likely signed Bona using the second-round pick exception, which was introduced in the new collective bargaining agreement last year. The contract will include a team option in the final year for the 2027-28 season.
Bona, the 41st pick in the NBA draft, was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last season after averaging 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals on 58.8% shooting from the field. He ranked second in blocks and third in field-goal percentage.
Philadelphia 76ers No. 41 pick Adem Bona has agreed on a four-year, $8 million rookie contract, per his management group Banner 1 and @RocNationSports. The UCLA center has averaged 6.3 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks in 22.7 minutes per night so far in 76ersโ Summer League action. pic.twitter.com/qRXBTPJlJo
Bona debuted with the Sixers this month in summer league, averaging 6.3 points, six rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in four appearances so far between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He recorded eight points, seven rebounds and five blocks on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 standout has had a strong start, showcasing why the team selected him in the second round with his elite rim protection. He has also displayed great instincts to anticipate plays on defense and looks to be grasping coverages and other reads very well.
Bona is still a bit raw offensively but has the skill set on defense to impact games next season. His progression and development throughout his rookie campaign should be worth watching.
After he scored 15 points during an opening victory in his first NBA Summer League game, Jared McCain jumped on SportsCenter to talk ball.
[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag]’s NBA Summer League debut wasn’t perfect, but the former Blue Devils star still finished his first professional basketball game with 15 points and six rebounds to help lead Philadelphia to a comeback victory on Monday night.
After the win, the newest member of the 76ers jumped on SportsCenter to talk about how his first NBA experience felt.
“It was amazing,” McCain said. “I was so excited to get out there, I was nervous, I had butterflies, but to get out there and just play basketball, it’s what I’ve loved to do since I was a kid.”
“Being at Duke, being on the biggest platform in college basketball, the best program in college basketball, it was just cool to learn from Coach Scheyer, learn from my vets.”
The Sixers went through a pretty complete rehaul this offseason as well, and McCain will get to play alongside stars like Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey.
Adem Bona was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers are elated to have him on their roster, and cannot wait for his impact on the court.
The 41st pick overall was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in the final year for the conference. His ability to block shots will also come in huge, as he will likely be the backup for All-Star Joel Embiid.
Bona sat down for an interview after being drafted and had this to say about what 76ers fans could expect from him on the floor:
โThe one thing about me, youโre always going to get all out effort from me,โ he said succinctly. โEvery time I step on the floor, I compete and give all the energy I can give. I give all the energy to the team and get to wherever I wanna get to. I think Phillyโs getting one of the hardest workers in the draft.โ
The 76ers’ first summer league game of the season will come on Monday, July 8th. They will play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center.
Jared McCain scored his first NBA Summer League basket on Monday with a full-court burst all the way to the basket against Oklahoma City.
Sure, it’s not the regular season yet, but [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] (kind of) scored his first NBA basket on Monday.
During the Philadelphia 76ers’ first NBA Summer League game against Oklahoma City, McCain took the ball the length of the court early in the first quarter for his first bucket of the game.
With the Thunder’s Adam Flagler guarding McCain as the former Duke star took the ball up the court, McCain weaved to his left and then quickly back to his right to put Flagler in the spin cycle. The first-round pick then turned on the jets to take advantage of the open space in the paint, charging all the way to the glass for an easy layup.
McCain, Philadelphia’s first-round pick in last month’s NBA draft, will start against Oklahoma City in the Sixers’ first Summer League game.
Duke fans will finally get a first look at former Blue Devil [autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] in NBA action on Monday night.
The Philadelphia 76ers play their first game at the Salt Lake City Summer League on Monday night against Oklahoma City, and the team announced McCain earned a spot among the opening starting five.
McCain went to the Sixers with the 16th overall pick in last month’s NBA draft after he averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds during his freshman season. The former five-star prospect scored at least 30 points against Florida State, NC State, and James Madison, with the latter two games coming in the NCAA Tournament, and he made more than 41% of his 3-point attempts.
Adem Bona, Philadelphia’s second-round pick from UCLA, will start alongside McCain. Jeff Dowtin Jr., Ricky Council IV, and Justin Edwards round out the opening lineup.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. Eastern time and Blue Devils fans can watch McCain gain some valuable experience on ESPN.
Paul George picks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as MVP favorite for 2024-25 season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are fresh off their most successful season since Kevin Durant departed. They became the youngest first seed in league history and fought out a grueling Round 2 series against the Dallas Mavericks.
This past season marked the beginning of another championship window for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascension into one of the league’s best players headlines their group.
The 25-year-old had his best season yet and finished runner-up for MVP behind Nikola Jokic. It was a tight race that came down to the wire.
According to Paul George, he felt like Gilgeous-Alexander should’ve won MVP last season and bets he’ll be the favorite heading into the 2024-24 campaign.
George — who recently joined the Philadelphia 76ers — talked about the MVP discourse and how the narratives around it change season-by-season. He vouched for Gilgeous-Alexander on a recent episode of his “Podcast P” show.
“I thought he was the best example of what the MVP should be,” George said. “What he did to a team that no one had expectations — especially playing in the West, how hard that is to be No. 1. And average 30-plus… To take that team where he took them, I thought it was a no-brainer.”
George later clarified that even though Gilgeous-Alexader was the undisputed best player in OKC, that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a rich squad. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams help round out one of the best trios.
“Not to say the Thunder didn’t give Shai help. But this was a team no one had any expectations of,” George said. “For me, I just think what you actually bring to the table and how you affect your team’s success should be valued the most.”
The 34-year-old then went to a classic fallacy of saying the Thunder wouldn’t have sniffed the first seed without Gilgeous-Alexander. He said the experienced vet helped lead OKC.
“If you take Shai off that group, OKC is probably in the lottery. Let’s just be real,” George said. “As much talent as they have, I just thought they were young and they lacked the experience that Shai brought and gave the confidence to a lot of players.”
George then made his early prediction for next season. He thinks Gilgeous-Alexander will enter the year as the favorite to win the prestigious award. It’s definitely within the realm of possibility as he’s in his prime.
“If we’re looking at the front-runner MVP for next season, Shai’s got my pick,” George said.
Paul George with high praise about SGA: โIf weโre looking at the front runner MVP for next season, Shaiโs got my pick.โ pic.twitter.com/vJdms1C9K9
As most know, George and Gilgeous-Alexander will forever be linked together for the rest of their careers. They were the main pieces involved in the blockbuster deal between the Thunder and LA Clippers in 2019.
After George’s departure, it’s easy to say the Clippers lost that league-altering trade by a wide margin. He left LA with no championship in five years and a single Western Conference Finals appearance at its peak.
As George leaves for Philly, the Clippers are stuck with an old, expensive roster led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Leonard’s unreliable durability is well documented and a large reason LA failed to win a title.
Meanwhile, the Clippers laid the foundation of OKC’s current title window. The trade also included a plethora of draft picks through the 2020s. Williams was selected with LA’s lottery pick in 2022. There is still fruit to enjoy from the deal for the Thunder through the next couple of draft cycles.
Even though the deal turned lopsided in OKC’s favor, George’s admiration for Gilgeous-Alexander is cool to see. It’s obvious the latter is well-respected among the league’s upper echelon.
Have the Philadelphia 76ers closed the gap on the Boston Celtics with their addition of Paul George?
The Boston Celtics dominated the NBA last season. However, teams around the league have begun improving their rosters in a bid to close the gap on Joe Mazzulla’s team. The Philadelphia 76ers are among the early winners of the free agency period after securing Paul George on a four-year $212 million deal. George gives Nick Nurse’s team a legitimate big three.
In a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, former Celtics champion Kendrick Perkins warned the Celtics that Philadelphia could be a legitimate threat to their chances of retaining the Larry O’Brien trophy next season. He noted how the trio of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey was as potent as they were talented.
Nevertheless, Philadelphia isn’t the only team in the East that has improved. The New York Knicks’ addition of Mikal Bridges has drastically improved their versatility on both ends of the floor. As such, the Celtics have two legitimate threats heading into the new season.
You can hear Perkins’ full comments by clicking on the embedded video above.
Subscribe to the โCeltics Chronicleโ podcast on:
As mentioned last week, former UCLA Bruins Adem Bona is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.ย The 6’9, 245lbs big man from Nigeria was selected in the second round, 41st overall.
After winning All Pac-12 honors, and being named the conference defensive player of the year, his talent is wanted in the National Basketball Association. At UCLA, Bona played in 66 games, starting all but 1. He scored 10.1 points per game, including 12.4 in his final season.
The big man is officially a Turkish citizen, and he discussed his history in an interview with ESPN. He spoke with a reporter at the NBA Draft event and had this to say about being drafted in the NBA:
It means the world to me. I represent a lot of people. I represent two countries, and I know that back home, they’re very proud of me.
You can watch the footage of the interview here:
โ๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ข๐. I represent a lot of people. I represent two countries, and I know that back home, theyโre very proud of me.โ
๐ผ๐๐๐ข ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฃ๐, speaking on ESPN after his @NBADraft selection (@sixers).
Bona is expected to be with the team in Las Vegas this summer for the summer league. The first game is slated for July 13th against the Detroit Pistons.
