Sixers Take Duke G Jared McCain, Keep Pick For Now
The common consensus was that the Sixers would not keep pick 16. Most people in the know predicted some type of trade. But when pick 16 was on the clock, they selected Duke Guard Jared McCain, and at least for now, it seems they are keeping it.
What Jared McCain Did At Duke
In his 1 season at Duke, McCain averaged 14.3 pts while shooting 41.4% from 3pt range. In terms of people who can fill it up from deep, he was up there amongst the best in the draft.
In the NCAA tournament, he played even better, averaging 21 points per game, including 32 points in Duke’s loss in the Elite 8 against NC State. he also went 8-11 from 3 in the Round of 32 game against James Madison.
Despite his smaller size, he also grabbed rebounds at a decent clip. McCain pulled down on average 5 per game.
Some Issues With Fit Next To Tyrese Maxey
As good of a shooter as he is, there are some concerns in terms of fit. His game is very similar to that of Tyrese Maxey. Like Tyrese, he is a smaller guard. Can those two both operate on defense at the same time?
Another good shooter, Dalton Knecht, was also on the board. At 6 ft 6, he was maybe a more ideal fit next to Maxey. He was clearly the guy Sixers fans wanted, with a large amount of Tweets pushing for them to take the Tennessee Guard once he fell to the Sixers at 16.
Maxey has already struggled at times on defense. He improved last year, but he will likely never be a plus defender at his size. Now you are adding another small guard, putting even more pressure on Embiid on that side of the ball.
Keeping The Pick?
The Sixers could still trade him at some point. But the fact he is still a Sixer, and a trade didn’t come out soon after the pick, suggests they may keep him. Most traded players, get traded shortly after the pick is made. Over a half-hour later, there has not been a peep about a trade.
The Sixers have several more picks they can trade. So they didn’t need to move this particular 1 to make moves. Still, for a team in a win-now mode, it is surprising to see them make this pick, rather than trade it. We will see what happens down the road.
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What The Sixers Would Look Like if They Could Only Use Local Players
PG- Kyle Lowry- Philadelphia, Pa
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Lowry is not the player he once was. Several years ago you would be excited to start off with Kyle Lowry as your point guard. But not everyone is Lebron James and can continue to dominate into their late 30s. That said, Lowry is still a solid player. He is shooting over 40% from 3 to this point in the season, and can still be a facilitator.
Sixers fans have coveted him in the past. We have also hated him in the past when he was doing his usual antics against the Sixers. But if he had been a Sixer his whole career, he would likely be beloved. Not just because he is a local but because he is the type of guy you hate to play against, but love to root for when he is on your team.
SG- Mikal Bridges- Philadelphia, Pa
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Bridges would be the star of this team. And it still hurts to think he could have actually come home and played for the Sixers. They drafted him. He was wearing a Sixers hat and talking about how happy he is to be a Sixer. Then they traded him for a package that included the draft pick they eventually used to get Tobias Harris. And for the first couple of years. Harris was the better player. But now that Bridges is on the Nets, and allowed to be the guy, we see just how good he is.
He is an All-NBA caliber defender and scores over 20 points per game. Philly fans loved him on the Suns and Nets. They would adore him had he stayed in Philly.
SF- De'Andre Hunter- Philadelphia, PA
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Another solid player to add to the starting lineup. Hunter is no star, but he is a guy you love to have on the roster. Hunter has been around a 14 ppg guy his whole career. On that end of the floor, he can make a difference. His defensive game however leaves a ton to be desired. But playing next to Mikal Bridges should help cover up some of those issues.
PF- Marcus Morris- Philadelphia, PA
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Morris brothers are Philly through and through. Even after they moved on to new cities when drafted, they continue to be a big part of a community, focusing charity efforts on their hometown, doing things like making sure every student has backpacks, haircuts, school supplies, vision care, and more. Marcus finally came home this year in the Harden trade. While neither of them are the same guy anymore at 34, we can still see Marcus has something left in the tank.
C- Dereck Lively II- Philadelphia, PA
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Lively is currently enjoying a solid rookie season. The 12th overall pick out of Duke averages 8.6 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game. In his one year at Duke, he got All-Freshman and All-Defense honors. He has a chance to grow into a solid NBA player. Would it be nice to have a more sure thing at center and let Lively grow behind him? Sure. But the pool of active big men to pull from in the local area left a lot to be desired.
Bench- Lonnie Walker- Reading, Pa
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
You could do a lot worse than having Lonnie Walker as your main guy off of the bench. Walker averages 14.6 points per game this season off of the bench with the Nets and has been a double-digit guy for the past several seasons. Like Hunter, he is not good defensively. And this likely will not be a good defensive team in general outside of Bridges and Lively. But they may be able to put up some points, and Walker will help with that.
Bench- Markieff Morris- Philadlephia, Pa
(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Like his brother, Markieff is not the player he once was. His fall-off is even greater than his brother’s. He is down to just 7 minutes per game and has only played 3 games this year with the Mavericks. But the Sixers needed a big guy off the bench, and he was the best available. So they unite the Morris brothers on one roster.
Bench- Bones Hyland- Wilmington, DE
(Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
Bones Hyland loves playing in Philly. He put up 21 on the Sixers, including 4 3s, in a 114-110 Nuggets win. Maybe there is something top playing in front of his friends and family from Delaware that takes his game to another level. And maybe that would give the Sixers a big boost off the bench. He can also provide solid defense at times. Hyland is a solid player and would be a plus player off the bench for this version of the Sixers.
Bench- Cam Reddish- Norristown, Pa
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Cam Reddish had a lot of hype at times. But it hasn’t quite worked out anywhere he went yet. Which is why he has bounced around between 4 teams. But there is still skill there. He has the tools to be a starter. But he lacks consistency. He eventually fell out of the rotation with the Knicks for that reason. But it is definitely worth having him off the bench to hope you can pull that potential out of him.
Bench- Collin Gillespie- Huntingdon Valley
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
I was expecting a huge Nova presence on this team. But so many of the guys we remember from those great Nova teams aren’t actually from Philly. Jalen Brunson is from New Brunswick. Josh Hart is from Maryland. Seddiq Bey is from North Carolina. So they end up with Lowry, Bridges, Gillespie, and Arcidiacono. Gillespie has yet to make an impact in his rookie season with the Nuggets. But he was a ton of fun, and clutch as hell, when with Nova.
Bench- Ryan Arcidiacono- Philadelphia, Pa
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Arcidiacono was a superstar at Nova. But he has yet to turn into anything in the NBA. Now in his 7th season, he has never averaged more than 6.7 points per game. But just keeping a job that long in the NBA is impressive. In this case, he would be on of the last guys off of the Sixers bench. That has been his role wherever he went so far in the NBA, so he might as well do it for the home team as well.
Bench- Dion Waiters- Philadelphia, PA
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Dion Waiters has been out of the league for a few years. But in this case, Sixers would have a very limited pool of players to pick from. And if they were looking to round out their bench, a guy who has been a bucket at some points in his career would be hard to pass on. He is still only 31, and has been a double-digit points guy in the poast. In this case, it would be worth having him off the bench to see if he can help.
