Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain suffered an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right thumb during an offseason workout Sept. 25 and will be sidelined for the start of the 2025-26 season. The team announced on social media Oct. 1 that McCain underwent successful surgery to repair the tear Sept. 30. He will be reevaluated in four weeks, meaning the earliest he will be eligible to return is Oct. 28 if no setbacks occur.
This is not the first time McCain went through a recovery process in his professional basketball career. The 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee during a game against the Indiana Pacers Dec. 13, 2024. The injury was confirmed Dec. 14, 2024, and required surgery, which caused him to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The injury was a huge blow to the team’s morale given the disappointing performances and prolonged absences of star players Joel Embiid (center) and Paul George (forward) at that point in the year.
Prior to the meniscus injury, McCain quickly became a fan favorite due to his positive attitude and nightly offensive contributions. The Sixers faced countless roster inconsistencies due to player injuries and rehabilitations last season, which resulted in more minutes per game than originally anticipated for McCain. In the 23 games played, the rookie guard averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, accompanied by an efficient field goal percentage of 46.0%. As the recipient of the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Awards in October and November 2024, McCain was a clear frontrunner for the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year award prior to his season-ending injury.
“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,” McCain stated in his first press interview post-surgery. McCain’s ball handling skills, efficient shooting ability and play-making talents were missed through the rest of the regular season, as the Sixers only won 17 additional games after his injury.
Given that McCain will miss at least the first four games of the regular season, his minutes will be divided among the backcourt rotation of point guard Tyrese Maxey, shooting guard Quentin Grimes and third-overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, shooting guard V.J. Edgecombe. Feelings of optimism surrounding this upcoming season are dependent on the compatibility of the team’s new additions and the health of star players, given the miserable conclusion of last season. Assuming a smooth recovery process, McCain should be able to reassert himself into the rotation by the time the team gets into an early season rhythm.
