Jared McCain’s Standout Performance Propels Sixers To Victory Over Hornets
Philadelphia Sixers rookie guard Jared McCain scored a career-high 27 points as the Sixers held on to knock off the Charlotte Hornets 107-105 in overtime on Sunday Night, snapping a five-game losing streak to go 1-3 on their four-game road trip.
McCain finished the game shooting 10-18 from the field, including 3 of 8 from three-point range in 31 minutes, scoring 23 points in the second half and overtime.
So how do the Sixers use McCain moving forward? With Tyrese Maxey out, McCain has to get more minutes, especially with the team struggling to find scoring with Maxey on the sideline for four-to-six weeks.
Philadelphia is set to get Joel Embiid back on Tuesday and will pair him with Paul George for the first time. However, the team should give McCain a chance to show he belongs playing next to those two stars.
McCain seemed like he would be an afterthought this season, but the one bright spot in this miserable 2-7 start might be that they found that McCain can help them now and moving forward this season.
While Maxey is sidelined, expect McCain and Kyle Lowry to get a bulk of the minutes moving forward with veterans like Eric Gordon, and Reggie Jackson adding depth when called upon.
The other bright spot has been the play of Guerschon Yabusele, who finished with 20 points (8-of-13 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), eight rebounds, and a pair of three-pointers in Sunday's win over the Hornets.
With Embiid returning, it will be interesting to see how the Sixers use Yabusele. Will they use him as a backup small-ball center, or will he slide into the starting lineup as a stretch four, with Caleb Martin moving to the bench.
When the team is at full strength, you could see a lineup consisting of Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., George, Yabusele, and Embiid. The second unit could consist of Lowry, McCain, Martin and Drummond.
While the start of this season has been frustrating, McCain and Yabusele have been a bright spot, that could help them in the long run this season.
