Just as the Philadelphia 76ers were ready to kick off their preamble to the regular season, they announced the news that Jared McCain had suffered from a UCL tear in his right thumb. The injury comes off the heels of what was a busy offseason for the 21-year-old, as he was busy recovering from the meniscus tear that ended his rookie season prematurely in December.
Across the 23 games in his rookie campaign, McCain massively impressed, averaging 15.3 points and 2.6 assists, while converting on 46 percent of his shots from the field. These efforts, in part, would be enough to see the former Duke star be named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in November.
Given that the injury occurred during a training session on Thursday, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse and President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, did not have much to add about McCain’s injury at Philadelphia’s Media Day on Friday, other than that he was still seeking outside consultation.
“He’s still consulting with specialists, you know, with the hand there’s doctors, or there’s doctors specialized in everything, but it always seems like hand injuries are very specialized, so still gathering that feedback,” Morey explained. “But we know Jared is going to attack this just like he did the last one, and be back even better.”
While there may not have been a concrete update regarding McCain’s setback, ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed a potential timetable for the 21-year-old’s return to the court.
“Sources tell me that Jared McCain is expected to undergo surgery on that right thumb, and be sidelined for approximately four-to-six weeks,” Charania stated. “So he’ll be out to start the regular season, and from there you’d hope that he’ll be able to make a return.”
If this is the case, this would leave Philadelphia without one of its promising stars for the first chunk of the season, which would have to see other players in the backcourt make up for his production. Luckily for Nurse, he still has the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards, Kelly Oubre Jr, Eric Gordon, and Kyle Lowry to help fill those minutes.
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