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Philadelphia 76ers Coach Speaks on Jared McCain After Surgery

Nick Nurse addressed Jared McCain's latest injury update.

Justin Grasso

Dec 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) shoots the ball against the Orlando Magic during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Dec 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) shoots the ball against the Orlando Magic during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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The Philadelphia 76ers made an important announcement on Tuesday night. The team revealed its rookie guard, Jared McCain, underwent surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear.

It was a successful operation for the rookie guard.

Following Wednesday’s practice session in Camden, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse addressed McCain’s surgery, expressing optimism moving forward.

"Listen, certainly surgery went well," Nurse told reporters. 'Very optimistic about how it went and how the recovery will be. He's obviously still trying to come to grips with all that kind of stuff. Very disappointed. I feel bad for him."

The Sixers didn’t anticipate utilizing McCain as much as they have through the first stretch of the 2024-2025 season, but their decision to trot out the rookie while shorthanded paid off, as they found out he belonged in the rotation, whether the team was fully healthy or not.

Once again, bad injury luck struck the Sixers, affecting McCain’s Rookie of the Year campaign.

Last Friday, McCain reported knee soreness to team trainers after the loss against the Pacers. An MRI revealed McCain was dealing with a serious setback. Suddenly, he’s going from thriving as an everyday rotational player to being ruled out indefinitely.

In his first 23 games this season, McCain has averaged 15 points on 46 percent shooting. While taking six threes per game, McCain has knocked down 38 percent of his long-range shots.

Whenever McCain is able to return, he’ll surely be viewed as a key role player moving forward. For the time being, the Sixers will wait patiently as he recovers from his first major injury of the year.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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