The Philadelphia 76ers have struggled mightily this season as all three-star players have dealt with injuries in the early going. However, there has been a silver lining to the 76ers’ rough start.
Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak – its second such streak of the early campaign — last night with a 113-98 victory over Brooklyn. Jared McCain poured in a team-high 30 points on 11 of 20, including 6 of 11 from the 3-point line, to lead six players in double-figures. With the victory, the 76ers improved to 3-12 on the season, tying the Utah Jazz for the second-worst record in the league.
Eastern Conference Team Apparently Has Found Its Backcourt Of The Future
Philadelphia rebuilt its roster this offseason. The 76ers have 10 new players on the squad this year, so a slow start isn’t a huge surprise. But the season is teetering on a disaster as Joel Embiid and Paul George are out again. Embiid, who didn’t make his season debut until November 12, played in only four games, while George missed the first five contests and seven of the 15.
While Embiid and George’s injury situation is the most concerning for the 76ers, the duo is not the only Sixers who have missed games. Starting point guard Tyrese Maxey has missed six games, and Kyle Lowry has sat out the last two.
Only four 76ers have played in all 15 contests, and 16 of the 17 players on the Sixers squad have seen action in multiple games already. The rookie Justin Edwards, on a two-way contract, is the only player yet to appear in a game. As a result, coach Nick Nurse has started 11 players in nine different lineups.
Philadelphia has the third-worst offense in the league, with a rating of 105.8, and has been outscored by 7.2 points a contest (the fifth-worst differential). Shooting has been a major problem for the 76ers, as they rank 29th in field goal percentage and 29th (43%) in 3-point percentage (32.1%).
McCain’s Emergence
McCain, who was playing his best basketball over the final two-and-a-half months of the college season last year, came out of Duke known as an elite shooter who could light up the scoreboard when he got hot. The 2024 No. 14 overall selection demonstrated that scoring ability during the summer league and preseason, though the 20-year-old was very inefficient.
Still, McCain started the season as the 76ers’ fifth guard. However, with George and Maxey dealing with injuries and Eric Gordon‘s ineffectiveness, McCain has seen more playing time than expected early in the season. And the 6-5 guard has taken full advantage.
So much so that he is now starting alongside Maxey and is a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year. McCain has started the past five games, with the last two being alongside Maxey. Before returning on November 20), Maxeyxey had missed six straight games with a hamstring injury.
McCain has been much more productive and efficient as a starter despite making twice as many appearances off the bench. McCain has produced one double-double, averaging 26.6 points and 5.2 assists since being inserted with the first unit. He also has drained 4.8 treys with shooting splits of 51.1/48.0/93.8 during this five-contest stretch.
According to Basketball Reference, McCain is one of just five rookies with a 25%+ usage rate and a true shooting percentage north of 60%.
Maxey and McCain Starting Together
Against Brooklyn, McCain and Maxey combined to outscore the Nets 19-6 over a 4-minute and 30-second stretch halfway through the fourth quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 12-point lead for the Sixers. In addition to the 30 points, McCain recorded five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two turnovers in 39 minutes.
“I was ecstatic that we found somebody that can give me relief, and a break, so I don’t have to have the ball in my hand so much…” Maxey said after the Nets game. “So we have another guy out there who can make players, can shoot the ball, can play off the ball, on the ball, it just makes the game a lot easier.”
Meanwhile, on a minute restriction, Maxey was much better against Brooklyn than he was versus Memphis. In 27 minutes versus the Nets, Maxey totaled 26 points on 11 of 17 shootings, including 3 of 6 from deep. He also had five rebounds, four steals, and four boards while posting a +19 plus/minus.
Maxey and McCain Are The Sixers’ New Starting Backcourt
While Maxey and McCain were a combined +27 against the Nets, the Sixers were a +12 in the 17.1 minutes the duo was on the floor together. Over the last two games, the Sixers have outscored their opponents by +2.0 a contest when the duo is on the floor together, which is still significantly better than the season average—when the pair have been on the court together (-1.8) in 21.2 minutes a game.
More importantly, Philadelphia has been better offensively with McCain starting. The Sixers first unit is averaging six points a game more with McCain with the first unit while shooting 4% better from the field. The starters also average 2.1 treys and have shot about 3% from deep better over the last five games. However, the first unit allows three more points with McCain in the starting lineup.
McCain has struggled defensively this season, which is not surprising for a young rookie who is on the small side. Opponents are shooting 51.9% from the field on nearly 11 shots a game, although he has been good at defending the 3-point line and perimeter overall.
Starting Unit Cont.
Since moving to the starting lineup, McCain has been a little better on the defensive end, though opponents are getting more chances. During this five-game stretch, opponents are shooting 50% from the field, though he has still defended the 3-point line well.
Here is the thing: Philadelphia is outscored by 1.7 points a game when McCain is on the floor and by 5.5 points when he is off for the season. However, over the last five contests, the Sixers have been outscored by 0.6 points a game when he is on the floor and five points when he is off.
“We both play hard,” McCain said, per Philadelphia Inquier Keith Pompey, when explaining that he and Maxey don’t believe their size will be an issue. “I think a lot of the game is just playing hard. At this point, they’re going to try to get the mismatch. They’re going to have an offensive scheme to try to go at us. But as long as we play hard, I think we will be able to hold our own. That’s something that a lot of people don’t do. And I think we give a lot of effort, give a lot of energy, and I think we can make up for that.”
Speaking of backcourt defense, the 76ers guards are outscoring their opponents’ guards by 10 points a game (50.4- 40.4). The Sixers’ backcourt is also holding their opponents’ backcourt to 43.8% shooting from the field, including 7.6 threes a game at a 35.8% clip.
Unless Philadelphia turns things around quickly, the Sixers may look to make some moves. However, Maxey, who is in his first year of a five-year, $205 million contract, and McCain, who is under team control for the next three seasons, are not among the players available.
