Jared McCain's shooting prowess could have unlocked the Sixers' stagnant offense, providing the floor spacing they desperately needed.
Bleacher Report put the Philadelphia 76ers' biggest regret this season as the Jared McCain trade.
With Oklahoma City, McCain has done well as a movement shooter and off-ball player. Philadelphia was left thin in the backcourt as Cameron Payne battled injuries and wasn't at his best when he came back. If McCain were still in Philly, he would have given the Sixers something they lacked all season, consistent shooting that keeps the floor spaced out.
That fit matters because the Sixers are not a strong perimeter team. Their 34.9% three-point shooting percentage ranks 23rd in the NBA. That points to a team that lacks role players who can reliably knock down open threes created by offensive engines such as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. That is where McCain's skill set stands out. He is the kind of guard who can run off screens, relocate, and get shots up quickly without disrupting the offense.
In Oklahoma City, the opportunity for him to show off this skill set hasn't been consistent. The Thunder's roster has a lot of depth that limits how often a young guard like McCain can show what he is truly capable of.
He showed flashes of stardom during his rookie season, averaging 15.3 points per game on 38.3% from three before his season-ending UCL injury in his rookie year. He still has that same shooting ability, but the way Oklahoma is structured means that he can't show off his skill as much as he could in Philadelphia.
That contrast is what makes the fit so interesting. With the 76ers, McCain would not have needed to dominate the ball to make an impact. In Nick Nurse's isolation-heavy scheme, he would be used as a floor spacer who drills catch-and-shoot threes, attacks closeouts, and keeps the ball moving as a connective passer.
His presence alone would have made it harder for teams like Boston to load up on Maxey or clog driving lanes, something that Philadelphia is struggling with in their current first-round matchup.
Overall, McCain is not just a promising shooter; he is a stylistic solution to one of the Sixers' biggest problems. While he continues to develop in a crowded backcourt in Oklahoma, Philadelphia is left searching for players with the same abilities that McCain already had.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.