Philadelphia 76ers' Jared McCain Reveals Emotional Reaction to Injury

Jared McCain reacted to his injury on YouTube.

Dec 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) controls the ball against the Orlando Magic during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A little over a week ago, Jared McCain was working on strengthening his campaign to become the next player in Philadelphia 76ers history to take home the Rookie of the Year award.

At this point, he was hit with a difficult reality check.

“It sucks,” said the 2024 first-rounder in his latest Vlog via YouTube. “It sucks pretty bad.”

During the Sixers’ Friday night home game against the Indiana Pacers last week, McCain left for the locker room during the third quarter. At the time, he was getting checked for a possible concussion. Not long after, he was cleared and back out on the floor to finish the game.

Jared McCain out indefinitely with torn meniscus.

— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) December 14, 2024

McCain’s head was a concern, but his unknown knee issue would become a major problem. After reporting soreness to the team’s medical staff after the loss against the Pacers, the 76ers had the rookie undergo an MRI the following day. He was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus tear.

“I can’t win Rookie of the Year, which is the one thing I wanted,” McCain added. “It sucks I’m out of the race. Life isn’t always linear. It’s not gonna be straight up to the top, is it? It’s gonna be ups and downs … We’ll be better. Stay positive. Stay joyful. Stay grateful.”

Just a few days after receiving the diagnosis, McCain had a successful procedure to repair the injury. Sixers officials confirmed that there is not a specific timeline in place for McCain’s injury just yet. However, the rookie mentioned that his rookie season seems to be over at this point.

“This is terrible, I don’t wish this on my least favorite person in the world,” he said the next day following surgery. “I don’t like this at all. I’m trying to find a reason of why this happened, but there’s no reason. It just happened, right? It just happened. It’s what I play, and we just got to get through it and know that God has a bigger plan for me. … I’m not playing the whole year? [It hasn’t settled in]. Still not. I don’t know when it’s gonna settle.”

With McCain being 20 years old amid the first season of his NBA career, the rookie should be focused on the long game. There isn’t a need for him to rush back despite his importance to the team.

While the recovery could always lead to a different timeline, depending on how it goes, the early indication is that McCain played his final minutes this season.

If that’s the case, he wraps up with 23 games played. During that stretch, McCain produced 15 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from deep.