When he heard his name called by Adam Silverhe took the time to hug each of his loved ones for several seconds. Jared McCain shed a few tears, then took the stage, displaying a broad smile alongside the league boss.
This is what the former Duke player's draft looked like. An evening during which ” everything that happened was a surprise. You have no idea what's going to happen. There's obviously a place you think you're going to, but anything can happen. When they called me and told me I was going to Philadelphia, I cried tears of joy “, does he deliver.
The joy of being selected in 16th position by one of the most ambitious teams in the East. But which, according to him, had not really given any warning signs. Because during the test workouts and pre-Draft trades, ” you can never know if the team is interested or not ” So seeing the Sixers retain him has ” clearly was a shock ” for him.
In Philadelphia, he will team up with a former MVP, Joel Embiid, a multiple All-Star who has just arrived (Paul George) and one of the most promising point guards/guards of his generation, Tyrese Maxey. Not to mention Kyle Lowry, the oldest and most experienced player on the team.
Running out of gas in Summer League
“ This is the best thing ever. I don't know what more you could ask for. Kyle Lowry is in the league for almost as long (18 years old) that I am alive (20 years)”, he says about the veteran he wants “ learning the ins and outs of the game, how to stay in this league, finding opportunities on the field “…
For now, these opportunities come through the Summer League where he is clearly struggling with his shooting, his main quality. After four games, he is averaging 13 points with a sad 25% success rate.
Jared McCain, however, is showing signs of being a liberated shooter, capable of taking penalties from very far away and therefore likely to relieve Joel Embiid and the others, like his match against the Wolves. The man with already 5 million “followers” on social networks is in any case not the type to lose confidence in himself.
” It doesn't matter if I'm going through a bad time – the fans can be mad at you – but if you don't have confidence in yourself, nothing will work. “, says the full-back, accustomed to the passion of Duke fans, before concluding: “ You must always stay the course. You must never be overconfident or the opposite. »
