Atlantic Notes: McCain, Bona, Quickley, Pritchard

The Sixers continued to struggle on Wednesday in their loss to the Cavaliers, but rookie Jared McCain continued to be a bright spot for his team. The Duke product scored career highs of 34 points and 10 assists in the loss, making six of his 13 three-point attempts. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer observes, McCain’s 34 points were the most by a rookie in a game this season and they came in his first career start.

“I just attribute [the career night] to my work,” McCain said. “I work so hard, so I feel like I need these games. I’m starting to learn more about being a lead guard. I feel like in college [at Duke], it was more off-ball. So definitely learning the process there, cutting back on turnovers and reading the game a little slower. But then again, I feel like I’m finding my shot, whether it’s midrange, getting to the rim, and obviously shooting the three.”

As we noted Wednesday, McCain has logged 30 or more minutes in each of his last four games. Without Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers are leaning on McCain’s guard skills more.

“Obviously, another great game for him,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I think the biggest thing was the 10 assists for me. I know 34 is a huge number. Again, he’s mostly been doing it one way. And to do that you are starting to … create. I felt he did a good job for the most part, getting it out to other people to get some buckets. And that’s pretty fast learning, right?”

As Pompey notes, McCain is one of five Sixers to play in every game, and his 13.5 points rank fourth on the team. He’s making 38.5% of his three-point attempts this season.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

• Fellow Sixers rookie Adem Bona received his first big minutes on Wednesday against the Cavaliers. He produced four points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes, which left Bona feeling encouraged, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It felt amazing having the opportunity to do what I do out there,” Bona said. “The coaches trusted me, putting me in the game. That was like a little confidence boost for me, to show the coach I can contribute and help the team.” Bona might not play much down the stretch of the season, but he got this opportunity with Joel Embiid out due to injury management and Andre Drummond out due to illness. “He should be excited to get his opportunity,” Nurse said. “Let’s see what he does with it.“
• The first anniversary of the trade for Immanuel Quickley is coming up for the Raptors, but he’s only played 25 games to this point with cornerstone Scottie Barnes, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. Quickley and Barnes have traded off time on the injured list since the acquisition, and Quickley’s now out about a month with a UCL injury.
• Payton Pritchard‘s $30MM deal with the Celtics he signed in 2023 continues to look like a bargain, Brian Robb of MassLive.com writes. He’s been a tremendous factor in the rotation this season, averaging 16.2 points while shooting 42.7% from three. His 23 points on Wednesday against Brooklyn helped the Celtics turn an 11-point first-half deficit into a blowout win. “Payton’s been excellent,” teammate Jaylen Brown said. “He’s been great, and that’s what we need. He’s been a superstar in his role. It’s almost like now it’s kind of expected because he’s done it so much and he’s done it so well. But obviously, it’s a long season. We’ve got to keep encouraging and finding him. And at times even playing through him; let Payton run the show. I don’t mind, especially when guys have a role in it. Just have the mindset that we’re a team, and whatever it takes to get it done.“