Paul George’s Honest Reaction to Jared McCain’s Major Setback

Philadelphia 76ers star recently opened up on Jared McCain's injury.

Dec 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) and Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) in action at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia 76ers were thrilled to see the quick development of their first-round draft selection, Jared McCain. Unfortunately, Paul George and the rest of the team recently witnessed the young guard suffer a setback that might’ve prematurely ended McCain’s rookie campaign.

During a matchup against the Indiana Pacers, McCain dealt with multiple setbacks. He was tested for a concussion and cleared to return to the court. Although McCain finished the game, he reported knee soreness to the training staff.

An MRI the following morning revealed a meniscus tear. McCain was set for surgery just days later. While Sixers officials could not confirm an official recovery timeline for McCain, the rookie guard revealed on his YouTube channel that his rookie season is over.

Recently, the nine-time NBA All-Star, Paul George, offered his reaction to the setback on the latest episode of ‘Podcast P.’

“I saw him in the training room before he had the surgery. Man, I was just like, ‘This is the real welcome to the NBA, man.’ Dealing with your first injury and how do you respond after that? To be honest, we’ve all dealt with some injury, whether we had surgery or not. How are you going to respond from this point on? The chase is back on to finding who you are when you left the game and if you can be better than that person when you left the game. It can be dark. The one thing about surgeries, man, especially at that age and him with the success that he’s had, I know damn well he wanted to be in that Rookie of the Year finalist and be the last one to win it.”

PG shares advice he gave Jared McCain after his ROY campaign was cut short.

Sending good vibes to Jared 🙏 pic.twitter.com/kaUxOwJx6r

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) December 30, 2024

McCain surely wasn’t shy about his desire to win the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award. Many would say he was on pace to do so before he got hurt.

In 23 games, McCain averaged 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists. He shot 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc.

Regardless of whether his season is truly over or not, McCain has a long recovery ahead. George wants to make sure the always-positive rookie maintains his positive attitude throughout the dark times of dealing with an injury through a long season.