Nine days before outwardly endorsing his Rookie of the Year candidacy through a 30-point showcase, Jared McCain approached November 13, 2024’s head-to-head against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers with a performance that, in many ways, spoke for itself. Hoping to compensate for the Philadelphia 76ers’ shorthanded lineup through long-range accuracy, 2024’s No. 16 pick camps along the floor’s weak side, swinging his arms as if he were conducting traffic in a literal plead for an opportunity. Well-prepared for the pressures after his request gets accepted, McCain puts a 3-point rainbow ahead of Darius Garland’s contest, igniting the “City of Brotherly Love” in celebration through a deficit-trimming triple in the final five-and-a-half minutes. Philadelphia’s fearless rookie gave the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed everything it could handle, even in defeat, as he ran off 34 points (on 12-of-26 shooting), 10 assists, two steals, and six 3-pointers. Arguably the first of 2024-25’s rookies to border on “unguardable,” McCain paired this night’s 34-point eruption with five games of 20+ points promptly thereafter. · Nov 14, 2024