Jared McCain’s summer school: workouts with Rico Hines, summer league, and learning all he can from NBA veterans

The Sixers assistant coach "has been my guy the entire time," the rookie said. He's also DM'd several established veterans, including a former Sixer.

Sixers rookie point guard Jared McCain says he wants to do whatever it takes to help on the court.Read moreTyger Williams / Staff Photographer

by Keith Pompey

Published Aug. 19, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

CARROLL, Iowa — Jared McCain is working out close to nonstop. And the 76ers rookie point guard wouldn’t have it any other way.

“There’s a lot of stuff I got to learn and stuff to get better at,” McCain said. “I want to play this season. We have a stacked team. I just want to find a way that I can get on the court.

“So working with the coaching staff, [assistant coach] Rico [Hines] has been my guy the whole time, getting in early, late, whatever it is, just trying to work as much as I can.”

He was assigned to the Summer Sixers after being selected 16th overall in the June 26-27 NBA draft out of Duke, participated in the Salt Lake City Summer League on July 8-10 and later in the NBA 2K25 Summer League from July 12-22 in Las Vegas.

Afterward, he flew straight to Durham, N.C., to work out at Duke. McCain then traveled to the Philly area to work out at the Sixers’ practice facility in Camden before heading to Los Angeles for an unofficial team minicamp at the Rico Hines Private Runs at UCLA.

The California native returned to Philly this past week before flying to Carroll, Iowa, on Friday for the Nick Nurse Charity Invitational at Carroll National Golf Club. After supporting Nurse, the Sixers’ coach, McCain headed back to California to resume working out with his teammates this week at the private runs. The Sixers’ young players will report back to the team’s practice facility in early September to gear up for the season.

While Joel Embiid competed for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, a lot of McCain’s teammates participated in the minicamp.

“I got to do the Podcast P with Paul George podcast,” he said. “Tyrese [Maxey] was in there all of the time. The summer league team was mostly there. So, yeah, it was just getting to know everybody and seeing everybody back.”

McCain’s best NBA-ready skill set is three-point shooting.

He shot 41.4% on three-pointers in 2023-24, his lone season at Duke. The 20-year-old set a Blue Devils freshman single-game record when he made eight threes while scoring a career-best 35 points against Florida State on Feb. 17. He tied that three-point record while finishing with 30 points against James Madison in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I think being a shooter is something that’s valuable for any team,” he said. “When Joel and Tyrese and Paul George are going to get doubled, Joel’s going to get double-, triple-teamed, so just being a spacer for him. Just being in the corner, wing, wherever you can throw that skip pass to the corner. I’ll be there ready, ready to shoot and give them immediate room.”

But McCain also is focused on providing whatever the team needs to receive playing time. If it’s just being a spot-up shooter, he’s fine with that.

“If it’s playing team defense and knowing rotations, and being out there, knowing how to play with everybody,” he said, “if that’s what it is, that’s what it is. I just want any chance to play, whether it’s point guard, or shooting guard or anything.”

That’s where his experience at Duke helps him.

McCain was a 2023 McDonald’s All American and the Gatorade California Player of the Year as a point guard at Centennial High School. He moved off the ball and thrived at shooting guard as a Blue Devil.

Now, McCain joins a team with three accomplished veteran point guards in Maxey, six-time All-Star and NBA champion Kyle Lowry, and another NBA champion in Reggie Jackson. George, a nine-time All-Star swingman, also is capable of running an offense.

Lowry, 38, has played 18 NBA seasons.

George and Jackson are 34 and have played 14 and 13 seasons, respectively.

While just 23, Maxey’s relentless work ethic has catapulted the four-year veteran to an All-Star selection and the league’s 2024 Most Improved Player.

As a result, McCain will get to learn from some of the league’s best and most experienced players.

“Kyle is somebody I watched his college highlights,” he said, “Obviously, his NBA highlights, just being a bigger, stockier guard. Tyrese is a younger player that I can learn from. And Joel as an MVP, I can learn just any ins and outs. Paul George, Reggie Jackson, the whole lineup is just people I can learn from. That’s really what I’m most excited for.

“Even if I don’t play, whatever happens, I’m just here to learn as much as possible so I can take it as far as I can.”

Determined to soak up as much information as he can, McCain reached out to a list of current and former NBA point guards, including former Sixer Patrick Beverley via direct messaging.

His message to Beverley read: “Just wanted to reach out to ask for some advice into the NBA. I have some questions about everything to be honest and just want to learn as much as possible before I step on the court. I’ll take anything. What’s some tips for succeeding as a rookie? How do I get on the floor? How do I get through slumps?”

McCain has a lot of appreciation for Beverley’s game and work ethic.

The 36-year-old opted to sign with Hapoel Tel-Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Super League over minimum-salary deals in the NBA.

“It’s funny, he gets a lot of slack for going overseas, not being in the NBA,” McCain said. “But the dude has made over $100 million in the NBA. You can kind of call it what it is. He has done really well in the NBA, and he’s been able to stay on teams.

“So that’s something that I can do. I just want to learn as much as I can whether it’s bringing energy or being that guy that can be the glue guy.”