Sixers Rookie Received Advice From Two Former Philly Veterans

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain landed advice from the team's two former players.

Mar 24, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Jared McCain (0) dribbles the ball past James Madison Dukes guard Xavier Brown (0) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the 2024 NBA Draft, Duke prospect Jared McCain didn’t receive a ton of interest from the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the lack of interest was tactical on Daryl Morey’s part. The Sixers considered McCain a top-ten player on their big board.

When Philly went on the clock at No. 16 back in June, they kept their pick and called on McCain to become the team’s newest rookie first-round pick since they selected Jaden Springer a few years back.

With McCain coming from Duke, he has connections to multiple former Sixers. During his introductory press conference a few weeks back, the rookie revealed that he held discussions with two former Philly-based sharpshooters, receiving advice about the NBA.

“Unfortunately, JJ Redick. I’ve gotten to talk to him a little bit,” McCain joked. “I’ve gotten to talk to Seth Curry.”

These days, Redick isn’t lacing up his sneakers to play anymore, but he’s officially put down the podcast microphone and picked up a clipboard out in California, becoming the newest head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

While Redick has bounced around the NBA a bit as a player, he had two crucial seasons on the Sixers. In 2017-2018, he was already established as one of the NBA’s top shooters from beyond the arc. After runs in Orlando, Milwaukee, and LA, Redick came to Philly to be a veteran leader on a young team that was looking to transition from a rebuilding squad to a playoff-contending roster.

As for Curry, he’s been quite the journeyman in the NBA since wrapping up his time at Duke. After going undrafted in 2013, Curry started his run as a pro through the NBA’s developmental pipeline. He appeared in two games during his rookie effort.

By the time Curry reached the Sixers in 2020, he was suiting up for his seventh franchise. Despite the lack of stability, Curry still carved out a decent role for himself wherever he was at. With nearly 500 regular season games under his belt, the veteran has averaged 24 minutes per game, becoming one of the NBA’s top three-point shooters by knocking down 43 percent of his shots from beyond the arc throughout his career.

McCain has a lot to learn, going from being a freshman guard at Duke to the pros. Fortunately, he has plenty of connections to help him get through the transition.

“Just talking to [Duke alums] about how they withstand the whole season, how they make the easy transition from college to the NBA,” the rookie finished. “Just finding any little detail I can to help myself.”