Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey loves the pick his team made in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The Sixers used their No. 16 overall pick on Duke Blue Devils sniper Jared McCain, who immediately got great praise from Morey.
“Jared’s been a winner everywhere. He’s going to be someone Philly loves. He’s got some skills that will get him on the floor earlier, but with a lot of upside,” Morey said of McCain (h/t Sixers reporter Lauren Rosen).
“He’s got the attitude that Coach Nurse likes to bring – get a little bit better every day. We’ve had some good luck taking kids with a really good base of potential & a strong work ethic,” Morey added.
Philadelphia 76ers chose upside with their pick of Jared McCain
At No. 16, the 76ers could have also gone with Dalton Knecht, but they instead opted to take McCain. Like Knecht, who went to the Los Angeles Lakers a pick later, McCain is deemed a dangerous perimeter scorer. However, McCain is much younger at 20 years old, while Knecht is already 23, hence the upside that Morey talked about.
In one season with the Blue Devils, McCain averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds, while posting a fantastic 41.2 percent success rate on his 3-point attempts in Duke uniform.
McCain could become a solid offensive weapon to put alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, as his shooting could create plenty of opportunities for the Sixers, who got eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
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