Tyrese Maxey is one of the few definite members of the Sixers‘ roster next season, but that didn’t deter the team from drafting another small guard Wednesday night. Philadelphia used the No. 16 pick on Duke’s Jared McCain, a 6’2″ scoring specialist whose skills seems to overlap with Maxey’s.
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey admitted that having an undersized backcourt isn’t ideal, but he added that McCain has learned how to be effective despite his stature (video link from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
“He’s got a strong frame, very strong, good rebounder,” Morey said. “We think he’ll be a solid defender in the league over time. He was being targeted at Duke, but as the season wore on he was actually one of their better defenders. He’s got the attitude that coach (Nick) Nurse likes to bring, which is just get a little bit better every day. He’s got 95th percentile approach to the game, good teammate, work ethic. We’ve had some good luck with taking kids with a real base of potential and a strong work ethic.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Cam Thomas, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, was the Nets‘ leading scorer this season and his opportunities should increase now that Mikal Bridges is being traded to New York, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis expects Thomas’ usage rate to soar, possibly among the league leaders, but until Brooklyn starts winning he’ll never be able to escape the reputation of putting up good stats on a bad team. “I’ve always gone through that stuff,” Thomas said. “Whenever I … have a big season or leap, it goes a little under the radar or unnoticed. If other players do it, it’s all talked about a lot. Obviously, I’m kind of used to it in a way. I don’t really care. I go out there and play for my guys and the organization to be the best player I can be. … I want to go out there and be the best version of myself.”
- With Sam Hauser entering the final season of his minimum contract, the Celtics may have drafted his eventual replacement when they took Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman at No. 30, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Scheierman is a similar type of player, and Weiss points out that he ran some of the same sets in college that Boston uses to create shots for Hauser. The Celtics will be well into tax territory for multiple seasons after expected extensions for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, so they’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the extra tax bill to re-sign Hauser. Team president Brad Stevens appears willing to make that commitment, telling reporters, “We want him to be here for a long time.” (Twitter link from Brian Robb of MassLive)
- With most of the roster already under contract for next season, Stevens doesn’t expect any major changes to the team this offseason, per Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
- A judge granted the Raptors‘ motion to compel arbitration in their legal dispute with the Knicks, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver will make the final decision on whether the case will be arbitrated. All parties must update the court on the status of arbitration by December 13.
McCain is just a baller , I don’t have a great style comp but he’s got that bulldog Lowry jive in him , just makes winning plays with an infectious attitude
Despite the height concerns I think it’s still a good fit w Joel Maxey
Coexisting may be tough. Two small guards switching guarding bigger guys going to be tough in the nba.
I guess you’re already going to put him in the basketball hall of fame. And he hasn’t played a second ahead of the NBA
PHI played with 2 small guards most of the time last year, at least in terms of length. Weight is another issue.
Yep, and not a title threat doing so.
Philly should sign Fultz to start. Now you have size n D. And depth at guard. Fultz won’t cost much. And he’s got something to prove. Philly needs depth.
Center – Mitch Robinson
P Forward – Julius Randle
S Forward – OG
S Gurad – Mikal Bridges
P Guard – Jalen Brunson
IHart, Hart, Donte, McBride, Achiuwa, Kolek, Sims ……..
Come get some …… Atlantic is ours.
’24-’25 should be pretty fun in New York, provided nobody gets injured or they make a stupid deal between now and then. You’ve certainly earned it. Too many years of suffering.
Hope Sam Hauser resigns with Celtics. In spite of what some still he plays very solid defense, staying in front of his man, and of course, love his threes dropping out of the sky. He deserves a raise and I think Stevens will give him one.