The Philadelphia 76ers received a bittersweet piece of news on Tuesday when rookie guard Jared McCain was named to the NBA Rising Stars Challenge roster, despite being sidelined for the rest of the season due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. The promising 20-year-old, who was having an impressive debut campaign, underwent surgery in December but still earned recognition as one of the top first-year players in the league.
McCain, the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke, was surprised but elated when his agent texted him a photo of the Rising Stars roster. “It’s obviously been one of my goals to be in that game, and I didn’t know if I was eligible or not to even be in it,” he said. “But it was really cool to be named that in the games I was played in.”
A Rookie on the Rise
Before his injury, McCain was turning heads with his stellar play for the surging Sixers. The skilled lefty was averaging an impressive 15.3 points on efficient 46% shooting, including 38.3% from three-point range, to go with 2.6 assists per game. His hot start even earned him Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November.
However, McCain’s season came to an abrupt halt on December 13th against the Indiana Pacers when he suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee on a seemingly innocuous play. “I started crying,” McCain admitted when he got the MRI results. “It was very tough to hear how long I’d be out for and to know I’ve worked so hard to be in the NBA and now it just gets taken away from me so quick.”
The Road to Recovery
The young guard underwent successful surgery on December 17th but was officially ruled out for the remainder of the season in early January. Still relying on a cane to get around, McCain is staying positive and taking his recovery “step by step,” focusing on his physical and mental rehabilitation.
I do my journal. I now meditate for longer. I visualize for longer visualizing a healthy knee. I made a new goal board and then I usually go into my reading.
Jared McCain on his recovery process
McCain said his superstar teammate Joel Embiid, no stranger to injury setbacks early in his own career, was quick to check in on him after surgery. “He wanted to just know what I was doing, what really had happened, and just told me kind of how to get through it,” McCain said. “So it was really cool to hear from him.”
A Star Still on the Horizon
While it remains to be seen if McCain will attend the Rising Stars festivities in San Francisco next month, his selection is a testament to the immense potential he flashed in his brief rookie season. If he attacks his recovery with the same skill and tenacity he showed on the court, the young guard could still develop into a cornerstone of the 76ers’ future.
The adversity may have cut short a promising debut campaign, but it’s clear that the NBA community sees big things ahead for Jared McCain. For now, the rising Sixer is wisely taking his recovery slowly and carefully, keeping his sights set on coming back better than ever to reclaim his place among the brightest young stars in the game.
