The Thunder’s young guard is ready to take over his advanced role this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a hard-fought battle on Tuesday night as the Indiana Pacers came to town for the squad’s fourth preseason game. The bout went into overtime, where the Thunder were barely able to squeak out the victory, 114-112. This is Oklahoma City’s first win of the preseason, and the team’s first since last year’s playoffs, as the team went winless in the Summer League.
A big part of this win was OKC’s key rotational players, as they had meaningful playing time in this bout. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 15 points for OKC, and star wing Jalen Williams had 16 of his own. The Thunder stars were great contributors to this win, but the biggest asset was one of OKC’s young upcoming stars.
Jared McCain stole the show on Tuesday night, as he led the team in scoring with 20 points. McCain has been projected to have a bigger role this season with the departure of Isaiah Joe this offseason, and will most likely be tasked with the majority of the Thunder’s three-point shooting. Luckily for the Thunder, the young guard is already showing he can do so.
McCain had no problem letting the ball fly from beyond the arc as he attempted 12 three-point shots. The young star didn’t just shoot them; he made 50% of these attempts, leading the game in three-pointers made.
McCain didn’t only show off his scoring ability; he had two rebounds, two assists and a steal when the night was said and done. While this isn’t projected to be McCain’s job, it won’t hurt if the young star helps to contribute in multiple aspects of the game.
It is also good news for OKC that McCain only played in 19 minutes of the team’s preseason game. As mentioned earlier, McCain will be expected to take on a bigger role, and with that comes more minutes. The young guard will most likely be looking at more than 19 minutes a night, and OKC hopes that means he will produce even more than he did on Tuesday.
McCain could be slotted to have a big season this year if he continues to keep this level of play up. Only time will tell if his skills will come to fruition as the season continues, but he will be given every chance to prove he can be the next OKC sharpshooter.
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