Jared McCain 2024 NBA Draft Profile

Jared McCain 2024 NBA Draft Profile

The 2024 NBA Draft is less than a month away. While the Finals haven’t even begun yet, it’s never too early to start diving into these prospects heading into the draft. We’re going to do a deep dive into everything you need to know about Jared McCain. Let’s get on with it and feel free to comment as always.

Height: 6’2″ (6’3.5″ wingspan, 8’2″ standing reach)

Weight: 203.2

Age: Turned 20 in February

Position: Guard

McCain, a Corona, CA native, was super highly recruited coming out of high school. You already knew that though based on the fact that he’s a one-and-done at Duke. 247 Sports had McCain rated as a five-star prospect and the 14th-ranked player rated nationally.

In 36 games played during his true freshman season, McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. That comes while converting 46.2% of his shots from the field, 41.4% from 3, and 88.5% from the free throw line.

Strengths:

We have to start with this for McCain. The dude is an absolute flamethrower from distance. If you want a 3-point specialist, there may not be a better one in the class. McCain doesn’t just convert his 3’s at a high rate, he does so in a multitude of ways. Off the dribble, catch-and-shoot-, on the move; it doesn’t matter.

The Duke product ranked in the 91st percentile in catch-and-shoot opportunities. He was probably the best pure shooter at the Combine too. It’s a make-or-miss league. At the end of the day, having a guy who can make shots is a valuable commodity that fits every team in the league.

McCain is also really good in transition. The Duke guard averaged 1.309 points per possession on plays where you’re able to get out and run. He also ranks in the 94th percentile in pick-and-roll offense. Simply put, McCain is instant gas to any offense. He spaces the floor and converts his shots at a high rate. McCain doesn’t turn the ball over either. You can do worse based on the talent level of this draft.

He competes defensively too. The steals numbers have been more than respectable. He’s good at finding passing lanes and striking. Grabs his fair share of rebounds despite his lack of size too.

Weaknesses:

While McCain has plenty of skill, I’m not sure he totally makes his teammates better either. He lacks real playmaking prowess. The pure assist totals are just not there and he rarely makes a play as a pure playmaker that makes life easier for his teammates. He takes care of the ball but it never feels like he makes the play that leads to a bucket that shouldn’t have been there. You’re never overwhelmed by his pure ball handling too in order to create plays.

McCain also lacks size and it could be a problem at the NBA level. If he’s not a real point guard, can you really trust him to guard two’s and three’s at the NBA level? He’s not a freaky athlete to stay in front of lightning-fast NBA guards.

Also, maybe this sounds ridiculous but it has to be considered a red flag that McCain is a big Tik Tok guy. I’ll let you Google those for yourself. I’m just not sure any of that is flying at the NBA level. Maybe it’s nothing but it makes me cringe every time I see him in a Tik Tok. I’m just not positive it’s nothing.

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Projection: Middle To Late First Round

There are reasons to like McCain. The game is becoming more and more about outside shooting. The Duke guard offers you that in spades. It’s about how much else he can affect the game. McCain should be able to step into a rotation as a pure shooting even if it takes him time to develop the other areas of his game.

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