Jared McCain’s Lights-Out Shooting vs. Lakers Has NBA Fans Questioning the 76ers: “What Was Philadelphia Thinking?”

The former Duke alum also set a new playoff career-high 17:44 minutes and ended with 18 points. In the second half, he came unglued. Jared McCain dropped 5-7 from FG and a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. He did not play a single minute in the first quarter, but that did not deter his confidence. His shots in the third quarter helped OKC keep the 7-point advantage. The Thunder guard’s performance even won the hearts of the current MVP, and he had only positive things to say about the teammate who came to Oklahoma City just this February.

May 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) shoots a three point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

“Jared McCain was big time tonight. Shot making all over the floor. Barely played the first series, and he’s had huge minutes this series. Just speaks to his character and his work ethic,” concluded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It was only three months ago that the Thunder acquired the second-year guard from the 76ers. After one-and-done at Duke, the 76ers selected McCain with the 16th pick in the 2024 draft. He was playing at a Rookie of the Year level last season before suffering a torn meniscus.

McCain averaged 15.3 points in 25.7 minutes per game, shooting 46 percent from the field and 38.3 percent on three-pointers, and finished seventh on the Rookie of the Year vote despite playing only 23 games. This season, McCain fell out of favor in Philadelphia. Sam Presti and the Thunder swooped in, acquiring him for a 2026 first-round pick (which conveyed at No. 22 via the Rockets) and three second-round picks. In total, the Thunder acquired a 22-year-old guard locked into a sub-$5 million average annual salary, with restricted free agency not arriving until 2028.

That’s why when the deal happened, it was called a fleece and a robbery. But the onus of it all is on the 76ers, who let go of a high-potential talent and are struggling in the postseason for the same quality.

Fans question the Sixers as Jared McCain balls out

“Jared McCain has shot 9 threes in this series. He’s made 7 of them. The perfect role player. What was Philadelphia thinking?” Long with great shooting from the 22-year-old, it coincides with the poor form of the 76ers in the Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. The Sixers kept it close without Joel Embiid in Game 2, but shot just 1-10 from the three-pointers, much owing to the fatigue they have endured in the postseason. Now imagine what McCain could have sparked if he had stayed in Philly. But the president had other ideas.

After the trade, Morey confidently said, “I’m quite confident that we were selling high [trading McCain]. Obviously, only time will tell.” But the fans are calling him out over his misjudgement. “Daryl Morey is a moron and traded him to the Thunder of all teams to avoid the luxury tax. Morey should be fired.” Fascinatingly, when the Sixers acquired him as the 16th overall pick, it was Morey who hailed the Duke product as a “special talent”. And also labeled him as one of the top 10 players in the 2024 draft.

But things change quickly, and Jared McCain was shown the door. This season, he was behind Quentin Grimes and rookie VJ Edgecombe. And keeping the latter was the right move, but the former hasn’t turned up in the postseason. Grimes has averaged just 6.5 points in the playoffs this year putting extra pressure on Maxey, which a fan pointed out. “Worth adding, Tyrese Maxey had to play 47 minutes last night, led the NBA in mins per game across the regular season, and has played more playoff minutes than anyone in the league. The future draft picks in return have combined for 0.0 minutes and 0.0 points for this Sixers team.”

Clearly, the future draft picks won’t help the team now in the postseason, which led to a lot of netizens airing their frustration. Another fan simply credited the Thunder for giving Jared McCain an extended run despite their insane squad depth. “They said they didn’t have minutes for him. Look at Okcs roster way deeper than phillys and he still got see the floor.”

Another fan had no other option but to cry in the comment section. “Literally gave him away for a bag of chips to a super team.” The Thunder are 2-0 ahead, as Shai has just scored 18 and 22 points against the Lakers so far. But the emergence of Jared McCain means the current MVP can sometimes take a backseat. That’s exactly what Philly needed.

The post Jared McCain’s Lights-Out Shooting vs. Lakers Has NBA Fans Questioning the 76ers: “What Was Philadelphia Thinking?” appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Trending Articles

• Who Are Cade Cunningham’s Parents? Everything You Need To Know About the Pistons Star’s Family and Background
• “I Will Punch You”: Shaquille O’Neal Issues Warning to Logan Paul Over Tom Brady Disrespect