While the Philadelphia 76ers' offense stagnated against the Knicks, Jared McCain is rewriting record books in Oklahoma City, posting historic shooting numbers that expose the Sixers’ massive playoff void.
A recent post said what Philadelphia 76ers fans already knew: Jared McCain has become exactly the kind of playoff weapon this team badly needed.
McCain, now with Oklahoma City, is shooting 62.5% from three through seven playoff games. In the Thunder’s second-round series against the Lakers, he has been even hotter, going 9-for-11 from deep, an absurd 81.8% through the first three games. That mark is the second-highest three-point percentage ever in a single playoff series.
That has to be hard for Philadelphia to see, as the 76ers needed a player with that shooting ability against the New York Knicks.
The Sixers’ offense against the Knicks too often looked cramped, predictable, and overly dependent on Tyrese Maxey or Joel Embiid to create something from nothing. In Game 3, Maxey finished with 17 points and seven assists on efficient shooting, but he attempted only 12 shots in 44 minutes during a 108-94 loss. Philadelphia scored just 18 points in the fourth quarter and never found enough spacing or secondary guard creation to punish New York. Game 4 was even worse for him; a 17-point game on 6-16 shooting from the field put an end to the guard's season.
Having McCain, a guard who can sprint off screens, relocate after giving up the ball, punish late closeouts, and hit movement threes, changes the flow of the offense. McCain showed in Game 1 against the Lakers that, despite playing just 15 minutes, his scoring off the bench was crucial: he went 4-for-5 from three and scored 12 points.
For the Sixers, that skill set would have been especially valuable next to Maxey. Too often, Maxey was asked to be the entire offense, even though he isn’t able to do that. McCain’s shooting would have forced defenses to think twice before loading up on Maxey, helping against Joel Embiid, or helping off the weak side.
Even when he was not scoring, his gravity could have opened cleaner driving lanes and easier catch-and-shoot looks.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.