Meditation and visualization have become core parts of Jared McCain’s routine.
Those habits don’t make McCain immune from feeling exactly how most NBA rookies would when his coach yells at him to enter the game.
“We all know to be ready when our name is called,” McCain said Sunday night. “We never know when (Sixers head coach Nick Nurse) is going to call out to the bench. … He screams it and it’s almost like your heart skips a beat.
“And sometimes he says, ‘Eric (Gordon)’ and I think he’s saying, ‘Jared.’ That might just be wanting to go in the game. It’s really nice to know that my whole team has my back and we’re all ready for each moment.”
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McCain’s readiness manifested as a sensational outing Sunday. He scored 27 points and the 2-7 Sixers needed all of them to claw out a chaotic overtime win over the Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. In the two games since Tyrese Maxey’s hamstring injury, McCain has totaled 45 points.
“The kid’s incredible,” Guerschon Yabusele said after his 20-point night. “He has no fear. He goes to the basket, always finds a way to get his bucket.”
Though nine NBA games, McCain has indeed done a ton more than shoot open three-pointers. He’s displayed guile and audacity inside the arc, too.
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McCain went 4 for 4 on two-point jumpers vs. Charlotte, including three makes in the fourth quarter. The Duke product has been happy to nudge defenders, pause and create on-balance shots he expects to sink.
“I think just slowing down,” McCain said, game ball in his hands at the postgame press conference podium. “A lot of stuff happens so fast. You get sped up when you come off a screen. You want to go score, you want to make the right pass. But a lot of (times) it’s coming off the screen, making the right play, slowing down when I get in the paint.
“I love the mid-range; I work on it all the time — getting to a bump fade, getting to a bump mid. So I’m just learning how I’m going to play in the NBA and hopefully, learning fast.”
When he gets near the rim, McCain understands he can’t lean purely on speed, size or world-class leaping. He’s seeing which tricks work against professional shot blockers.
“When I come off a screen, showing shot always because that’s my biggest threat,” he said. “And then, if I’m able to pull out the big or get the defender on my side, I know I’ve got ‘em. I can either get to the mid-range or finish at the rim. And I work on these layups — the same foot, same hand layups — all the time. So just trust my work.”
While his evening was full of scoring highlights, one of McCain’s biggest plays Sunday happened to come on defense.
Minutes after LaMelo Ball (38 points) drilled a game-tying corner three over him, McCain found himself alone in overtime against the Hornets star. He did excellent work, mirroring Ball’s moves, springing out to prevent a step-back jumper and ultimately causing a shot clock violation.
Whatever he visualized hours before the game, McCain kept things simple in that moment.
“For me, it’s just kind of being quiet,” he said. “Everything’s so loud around you, so just locking in on the ball and having a quiet mind.
“My psychologist calls it ‘Feel the dance.’ And I just kind of feel the flow, feel the dance. Just wanted to get a stop, really. That’s all I wanted.”
