October 07, 2024
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
What can training camp standout Jared McCain show during his first NBA preseason?
Happy Monday! Believe it or not, the Sixers play a real basketball game this evening. They'll host the New Zealand Breakers in the first of six preseason games on their schedule after a five-day trip to The Bahamas for training camp.
MORE: Everything that stood out from Sixers training camp in The Bahamas
The preseason is never about wins and losses; it is merely an opportunity for coaches to tinker and players to get acclimated to playing with each other. So, what should you be watching for during the Sixers' preseason slate? Let's discuss:
The Sixers have been deliberate in their management of Embiid, who did not scrimmage in The Bahamas but went through other drills. He is not nursing any sort of injury; the Sixers are formulating a long-term plan to ensure Embiid is healthy for the duration of the season.
Embiid has never been one for plenty of preseason action, understandably so. But any chances that he gets to share the floor with Paul George will be valuable, as the two players look to build on-court chemistry as they form a long-term partnership. It will also help George to team with Maxey in live action as much as possible, as their rapport needs to be strong as well.
When George met with the media on Friday, he indicated a plan had not yet been established for how much he would play in the preseason. Any stress-free minutes that can serve as tune-up opportunities will help George get used to playing with a ton of new teammates, but there might be diminished returns on his playing time in the preseason if he does not share the floor with Embiid and, to a lesser extent, Maxey.
The goal should not be for Embiid, George and Maxey to have a perfect three-man game when the regular season opens in 16 days -- such an objective would be impossible to reach in such a short time. But the sooner the Sixers' trio of All-Stars can get a head start on developing their familiarity with one another, the sooner they will be able to work out their kinks and become as dangerous as their talent says they can be.
The Sixers have eight players who appear to be locks to make head coach Nick Nurse's opening night rotation should they stay healthy: Embiid, Maxey, George, Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond. As Nurse has typically opted to use nine-man rotations, that leaves one spot up for grabs -- and given the makeup of the eight rotation regulars from a positional standpoint, that ninth player will likely be someone who can man the power forward position.
For months, this has appeared to be a three-horse race between KJ Martin, Ricky Council IV and Guerschon Yabusele. With each option comes distinct benefits and risks.
MORE: Who will be the Sixers' backup power forward when the 2024-25 season begins?
So, it will be intriguing to track how much each of Martin, Council and Yabusele see the floor, which players they share the floor with, what lineups they are parts of, and how they each look to make an impact during their minutes.
From the perspective of a fan, Martin might be the least exciting option: Council is entering his second season after showing plenty of exciting, dynamic flashes as a rookie, while Yabusele represents the unknown as a wild card option who only drew interest from the team on a standard NBA contract after a stunning performance for Team France in the 2024 Olympics.
With all of that being said, I firmly believe Martin is the clear front-runner to open the season in Nurse's rotation, ahead of Council and Yabusele. Martin will have to play well to maintain that spot, but his combination of positional versatility -- Martin can conceivably play anywhere from the three to the five, depending on the opposing lineup -- and the fact that he has more experience playing for Nurse than the others makes me believe he will get the first crack at locking down that final slot within the rotation.
Martin is a terrific athlete with a strong lower body. His three-point accuracy has always been subpar, though his mechanics continue to look clean. Martin said in The Bahamas that he spent the summer working with a shooting coach to remedy his issues in that department.
It was difficult to find someone in The Bahamas who did not volunteer a glowing review of McCain's showing. The rookie's signature skill is shot-making -- if he makes an impact for the Sixers in his first NBA season, it will be because he can knock down triples -- but Nurse lauded McCain's toughness, physicality and knack for getting loose balls early last week.
MOERE: Jared McCain impressing at Sixers training camp: 'He's a scrapper'
But McCain largely impressed during his time running the point for the scout team. McCain was asked to mimic some of the most dangerous guards the Sixers will face this season and turned plenty of heads in the process. Is there any chance he can carve out a role for the Sixers in 2024-25, not just as an off-ball shooter, but as a ball-handler? What seemed nearly impossible a week ago now seems unlikely, but perhaps conceivable.
"It's the best feeling," McCain said on Friday when asked about the rave reviews he was receiving. "I've been watching these pause since I was a kid. So to actually earn their respect and them giving me compliments, it's amazing. Also, the season hasn't started yet. I want to do this, obviously, in a real game. But early in the season, you want to do exactly what I'm doing."
Nurse should look to get McCain as many opportunities as he can in on-ball and off-ball situations during the preseason as he looks to get the rookie's feet wet in an NBA environment.
The Sixers have three players on their roster who are centers by trade: Embiid, Drummond and rookie Adem Bona, who the team drafted in the second round last June. The team found itself captivated by Bona's relentless motor and inimitable physical and athletic tools, but he is no sure thing.
Bona has a few serious flaws in his game that need patching up before he can be a reliable contributor -- the most pressing is his inability to stay out of foul trouble, but he also lacks offensive utility beyond screening and rolling at the moment.
While Bona is technically the Sixers' third-string center, it is fair to wonder if Nurse would be more comfortable using Martin -- or perhaps even Yabusele -- as a small-ball five whenever he needs another option at the position.
Bona should see quite a bit of action in the preseason -- particularly because Embiid will likely not suit up more than once or twice -- but if Nurse makes a point to try out Martin or Yabusele at the five over the next few weeks, it could be a tell that he is unsure if Bona is prepared for NBA minutes. The case could be made that some seasoning in the G League would do Bona plenty of good.
Of the Sixers' three two-way players -- guards Jeff Dowtin Jr., Lester Quinones and rookie wing Justin Edwards -- Dowtin is the clear front-runner in terms of earning minutes at the NBA level. His reliability, lack of weaknesses and mutual trust with Nurse are all working in his favor.
MORE: Jeff Dowtin Jr. ready for year 2 in Philly
Quinones has contributed in the NBA before as well, but the fact that he did not sign with the team until a few days before camp could work against him. Edwards will likely spend the vast majority of the year in Delaware; he is seen as a longer-term project.
On a team that features quite a few players who are nearing the ends of their careers and/or nursing lengthy injury histories, it is not inconceivable that one or two of Dowtin, Quinones and Edwards are afforded chances at playing for the big club.
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