Philadelphia 76ers: 3 Key Thoughts on Impact of Jared McCain's Injury

How does Jared McCain's injury impact the Philadelphia 76ers?

Dec 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) controls the ball against the Orlando Magic in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

On Saturday afternoon, it was reported that the Philadelphia 76ers are set to be without their star Rookie guard Jared McCain, who will be out indefinitely due to a torn meniscus in his left knee.

The rookie's injury only adds to the Sixers' season-long battle with the injury bug, which has majorly affected four of their stars now, with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey having sat out several games due to a wide range of conditions.

With the Rookie becoming more of a regular in Nick Nurse's system, the question begs to be asked: how will McCain's injury impact the Sixers?

76ers: Jared McCain has suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. He will undergo surgery and is out indefinitely.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 14, 2024

A Viable Scoring Option

The simple answer would be a certain hit to their offensive firepower, with the former Blue Devil averaging 15 points on 46 percent shooting, which has been enough to see him sit right below the aforementioned George in the Sixers' points-per-game tally.

These numbers alone don't really highlight McCain's importance, but when you take into account that in four of Philadelphia's seven wins, the 20-year-old has put up double-digit numbers, including a 30-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets, it's clear to see that he's quite a valuable gear in the machine.

Energy Off the Bench

While McCain enjoyed a brief run of appearances in the starting lineup amid injuries to both Maxey and George, he has made most of his outings this season coming off of the bench.

When McCain is on the bench, the Sixers have a offensive rating of 104, which rises up to 111 when he is on the court, alongisde the team's effective field goal percentage, which sits at an efficeint 52 percent while he's playing.

Who Could Replace McCain?

Given that the former Duke guard rose up in Coach Nurse's pecking order rather rapidly, it does leave quite the pair of shoes to fill, but there are plenty of options. An obvious answer would be to give Reggie Jackson or Kyle Lowry an increased run of time, with the latter of the two receiving plenty of appearances this season despite sitting out of Friday night's match against the Indiana Pacers.

An interesting alternative would be Jeff Dowtin, who has been tearing it up in the G-League with the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 24 points on 53 percent shooting through nine games under Mike Longobardi.

While Dowtin has been at the NBA level with the Sixers, he's appeared in 20 games averaging three points across an average of 11 minutes of play.