Jared McCain ‘still trying to come to grips with’ knee surgery, Sixers coach Nick Nurse says
McCain underwent surgery Tuesday, and Nurse said he is optimistic about the standout rookie's recovery outlook.
The good news: Nick Nurse is “very optimistic” about Jared McCain’s meniscus surgery on Tuesday along with his recovery.
But the 76ers coach added that McCain is “obviously still trying to come to grips with” the outstanding start to his rookie season being derailed by the serious injury.
“[He’s] very disappointed,” Nurse said Wednesday after practice. “So [I] feel bad for him.”
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McCain was an early Rookie of the Year contender and a bright spot in an overwhelmingly disappointing Sixers season, averaging 15.3 points (which leads first-year players) and 2.6 assists in 23 games. He shot 38.3% on 5.8 three-point attempts per game and demonstrated scoring and playmaking ability while attacking the basket and getting to his midrange jumper.
McCain had been evaluated for a concussion after taking a hard fall Friday during the 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers, before he reported left knee soreness following that game. An MRI on Saturday revealed a lateral meniscus tear.
In more positive Sixers injury news, forward Caleb Martin (shoulder) and rookie big man Adem Bona (knee) were full participants Wednesday in practice, Nurse said, and are progressing toward returning for Friday’s home matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
Superstar center Joel Embiid, who is recovering from a sinus fracture sustained during Friday’s game, began an on-court workout Wednesday after practice. The 2023 NBA MVP was not wearing a mask during the portion of the session visible to the media. The Sixers said Embiid — who has played in only six games this season because of this injury, a knee issue, and a suspension — will be reevaluated next week.
Gordon stays ready
In his first game since Nov. 30, Eric Gordon saw his first two three-pointers clang off the rim. But then the veteran guard went 3-for-3 from deep in the second half and got down-the-stretch minutes in the Sixers’ 121-108 victory in Charlotte.
“Making one changes the game for you,” Gordon said after practice. “Not just for yourself, but for the team.”
Gordon is the latest example of a Sixer who was in the rotation, then out of it, then back in while Nurse has tinkered with lineup combinations because of injuries and an 8-16 start to the season. But it has been a new experience for Gordon, who said this was his first time going this long without consistent playing time during his 17-year NBA career.
The typically reliable outside shooter entered Monday connecting on only 23.8% of his 2.6 three-point attempts in 16 games. Yet Gordon stuck with his diligent individual routine and kept a “professional mindset,” he said, which Nurse said gave the coaching staff confidence that he was doing everything in his power to stay ready.
“It’s not easy, especially with someone at this stature,” Nurse said of Gordon. “He’s a really good player and [has] had a long career. … But that is the conversation, that we do want to get you back in there and make you part of kind of the original plan.”
Other examples of players navigating inconsistent minutes through the season’s first eight weeks include KJ Martin, who went from opening-night starter to out of the rotation to becoming an efficient contributor with the first unit or in a reserve role. Ricky Council IV also was not a factor for a significant early-season stretch but has provided energy boosts in recent games. Right now, big man Guerschon Yabusele has seen his minutes fluctuate based on matchups.
Yet even as those personnel groupings continue to change, Martin said the Sixers’ growing familiarity with teammates — and a freer collective mindset — has helped them win five of their last seven games.
“I feel like we were kind of putting a lot of pressure on ourselves before,” Martin said. “But now, we’re just going out, competing, moving the ball. Whoever’s open, shoot the ball, and just keep moving forward.”
You again?
Because of a scheduling quirk stemming from the NBA Cup’s knockout rounds, the Sixers are playing the Hornets twice in a row — with three days between meetings. They also will finish all four regular-season matchups against the Hornets before Christmas.
Nurse said opponent familiarity meant that while working defensive drills during practice, coaches could “skew it to start with some of [Charlotte’s] sets.” The Sixers also spent time reviewing how the Hornets “drastically” altered some schemes during Monday’s fourth quarter, when they trimmed a 21-point Sixers second-half lead to four.
The longer break between games also allowed for routine cleanup while adding wrinkles to sets that have been successful recently, after Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combined for 73 points on Monday.
“How are you going to get them freed up to have the ball?” Nurse said of the duo. “How are you going to try to not bring multiple defenders to them? A lot of that just is switching up some of the actions to have different people in them. … Just moving pieces a little bit differently.”
And perhaps the Sixers wish their season series against Charlotte didn’t end Friday. Three of their eight victories have come against the Hornets.