Philadelphia 76ers select Duke guard Jared McCain with 16th overall pick in 2024 NBA draft
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Philadelphia 76ers selected Duke University guard Jared McCain with the 16th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft Wednesday night.
In his freshman season at Duke, McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shot 41.4% on 3-pointers.
McCain, 20, was rated as one of the best shooters in the 2024 class by draft analysts. He's a combo guard who can shoot and score from anywhere on the floor. McCain earned Atlantic Coast Conference All-Rookie honors in his lone season in Durham, North Carolina.
According to Synergy Sports Data, McCain rated in the 95th percentile in catch-and-shoot situations when guarded last season, which is the perfect skillset the 76ers need next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
"I'm just excited to learn from [Joel Embiid], man," McCain said. "Learn from both Maxey and him. Yeah, obviously, they're elite scorers, so I think I can space the floor and create space for them. I'm just excited to get to know them and learn as much as possible from them."
CBS Sports ranked McCain as the 14th-best prospect in the 2024 draft class and listed Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro as his pro player comparison.
The 6-foot-3 McCain ranked second on the Blue Devils in scoring last season and helped Duke go 27-9, including a 15-5 record against ACC opponents. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 9 in the country and made a run to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed.
In the tournament, McCain had two games where he scored at least 30 points, including a second-round win over James Madison University where he drilled eight 3-pointers. McCain was selected to the NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team for his performance in the tourney.
Before Duke, McCain played at Centennial High School in Sacramento, California, where he was a five-star prospect and ranked as the No. 14 player in the country. He was rated as the No. 1 player out of California and named the Gatorade California Player of the Year in his junior and senior seasons at Centennial.
McCain also has quite a presence on social media. He has 2.8 million followers on TikTok — and likely counting.