76ers Coach Reacts to Rookie’s Bench Performance vs Hornets

Jared McCain came off the bench for the 76ers against the Hornets.

Nov 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse on the sideline in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Tuesday was quite a busy day for Philadelphia 76ers’ star Jared McCain, having been named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month as well as playing a key role in the victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

McCain would come into the match off of the bench, something which he’s had to do more and more of since the return of Paul George into the starting lineup.

The Sixers rookie would help provide 17 points throughout the 22 minutes on the court, with nine of them coming in the first half.

Following the matchup, Sixers' head coach Nick Nurse talked about the 20-year-old's outing against the Hornets, applauding his energy off the bench.

The @Kia NBA Rookies of the Month for October & November! #KiaPOTM

West: Jaylen Wells
East: Jared McCain pic.twitter.com/MFWwexvzYT

— NBA (@NBA) December 3, 2024

"Very good off-the-bench performance for him," Nurse told reporters, "You come in, and you need some scoring off the bench."

While McCain got some considerable minutes in the first half, the same couldn't be said for the final two quarters of play, in which he only received nine minutes on the court.

The Sixers' head coach explained that it wasn't an easy decision to leave him out down the stretch, especially during an offensive dry spell for Philadelphia, as they were outscored by five points in the second half by the Hornets.

"It was a tough decision, we were struggling on the offensive end," explained Nurse, "I was really
considering a lot of the fourth of putting him back in there down the stretch just to give us a
little more space for Tyrese and Paul to operate because they were closing in pretty
hard off some of the other guys.”