With injuries decimating the 76ers’ rotation, rookie guard Jared McCain has taken advantage of every opportunity in front of him.
Jared McCain’s surprising contributions to the Philadelphia 76ers weren’t part of the plan. The guard from Duke was expected to be long on personality but shorter on opportunity on a veteran-steered team vying for a high berth in the Eastern Conference.
Instead, injuries and turmoil have left the Sixers at 3-13, near the bottom of the standings, with frustrating questions about center Joel Embiid and new addition Paul George.
But McCain has been answering questions few expected to even be asked this season. Now the Sixers look like a team that earned the top spot in the lottery last spring, and he is playing like the No. 1 pick.
Here are closer looks at him and the other nine rung-holders in this week’s Ladder, revealing a Class of 2024 deeper than some evaluators thought.
• Portland center Donovan Clingan posted an unusual line against Houston on Saturday, with 19 rebounds, three blocked shots … and zero points. But he also suffered a strain to his left MCL that night and will miss at least two weeks, possibly longer.
• Some rookies, such as OKC’s Ajay Mitchell and Phoenix’s Ryan Dunn, chipped in from the start but are not on this week’s Ladder. But others who took a bit longer to get traction are starting to make their presence felt. That includes recent contributions from Miami’s Pelle Larsson, New Orleans’ Antonio Reeves, Chicago’s Matas Buzelis and Minnesota’s Rob Dillingham. Houston’s Reed Sheppard has had his moments, too, while facing gridlock for minutes.
• Movement summary: Four rookies moved up, five slid, with San Antonio guard Stephon Castle leaping (from No. 10 to No. 6 to No. 2) for the second straight week.
Home stretch for Rookies of the Month. It’s like a Christmas rush: Only three game nights left to impress in the competition for the NBA’s October/November ROM honors. Look to the Ladder’s top rungs for the strongest candidates. But as an early indicator of Kia Rookie of the Year favorites, this hasn’t been reliable lately. The last ROY winner to snag his conference’s first Rookie of the Month that season was Memphis’ Ja Morant in 2019-20.
(All stats through Tuesday, Nov. 26)
1. Jared McCain, Philadelphia 76ers
Season stats: 16.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 1
Draft pick: No. 16
Lip readers caught an exuberant McCain stating his claim to the Rookie of the Year award in the Sixers’ victory over the Nets. That was a night when their dreary present and brighter (?) future collided, with McCain scoring 30 and Tyrese Maxey adding 26. In McCain’s recent string of seven consecutive 20-point performances, he averaged 26.1 ppg, shot 50.8% and hit 45.6% from the arc. His movement and instincts have been as notable as his scoring prowess.
2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Season stats: 11.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.7 apg
Last Ladder: No. 6
Draft pick: No. 4
It’s cute to hear one 20-year-old praising another 20-year-old for his maturity. “He’s playing like he’s much more experienced than he is,” Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama said of Castle. “I don’t know where that comes from, but it’s a good thing that we can trust him like that blindly in the fourth quarters.” Big climb this week, as much for poise as good numbers as San Antonio went 3-0.
3. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 12.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: No. 2
Draft pick: No. 39
Veteran Marcus Smart hasn’t contributed much on the floor for Memphis (28 appearances in two seasons), but he did chime in on Wells’ surprising early season and the work that has produced it. “Just the way that he comes in every day and doesn’t say much,” Smart said. “But he listens and he hears everything.” In the Chicago game in which Scotty Pippen Jr. grabbed the spotlight, Wells essentially played the traditional “Pippen” role, contributing 26 points, four boards and six assists.
4. Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
Season stats: 11.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.1 apg
Last Ladder: No. 3
Draft pick: No. 17
The “Knecht” mania from last week morphed into a more sober stretch with the Lakers’ little skid and his recent 42.9% shooting. Lakers coach J.J. Redick was asked about his defense, and TheRinger.com ran a lengthy piece questioning his ceiling as a 23-year-old newbie and justifying his slide to No. 17 in the Draft. Welcome to the NBA, rook.
5. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks
Season stats: 11.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg
Last Ladder: No. 4
Draft pick: No. 1
His shooting stroke rates high, but his mileage varies (38.8%, 19.4% on 3-pointers since his 33-point outburst on Nov. 6 vs. Knicks). Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised Risacher’s defensive work this week: “He’s had to guard a lot of matchups. He guarded on the perimeter in the Eurocup and the French League, but we’ve asked him to do that in a lot of significant matchups. He’s risen to the occasion on that.”
6. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
Season stats: 7.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 8
Draft pick: No. 21
Big night at IND (18p, 13r, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and a happy coach (“Getting better … before our eyes,” Willie Green said).
7. Alexandre Sarr, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 10.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 9
Draft pick: No. 2
Matched his scoring high Tues. (20) vs. CHI to cap a double-double week (14.3-10.0).
8. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
Season stats: 11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 9
Still out (ankle) but on pace to found his own NBA FG% club: 60-60-60.
9. Bub Carrington, Washington Wizards
Season stats: 9.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.6 apg
Last Ladder: No. 7
Draft pick: No. 14
Shooting sags with rest of Wizards in 0-3 week but still checking boxes.
10. Tristan da Silva, Orlando Magic
Season stats: 7.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 apg
Last Ladder: Not ranked
Draft pick: No. 18
Net rating 9.6, giving defense, minutes in Magic’s 9-1 stretch since Nov. 8.
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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