After a fall onto his back late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Sixers-Nets game, rookie guard Jared McCain was sent to a local hospital for further evaluation. McCain’s evaluation includes evaluation for a concussion.
The fall came on a play where McCain challenged Nets wing Ziaire Williams for an offensive rebound, and fell back hard with a fast snap of his head toward the hardwood. After McCain sat up, he was still in visible duress, struggling to breathe as he was being escorted back to the Sixers’ sideline.
“It was rough,” Nick Nurse said after the game. “Obviously he was having some trouble breathing there, thought maybe he got the wind knocked out of him. Not sure what was going on there, but never quite seen one like that before. So let’s hope he’s okay, and we’ll see what the report is from the hospital.”
While Nurse had minimal information to offer regarding McCain’s condition, Sixers players appeared to be optimistic about his condition after speaking with McCain following the incident.
“He’s fine. It was very scary. He caught himself luckily, he didn’t fall flat on his back,” Kelly Oubre said in the locker room. “He’s going to feel it tomorrow, that’s kind of what we were telling him. But he’s got to kind of take it easy and make sure he’s 100 percent for opening night.”
“I actually [saw] him in the back there, so I think everything’s going to be fine,” Jeff Dowtin added at the podium. “We’re praying for him, obviously, and he’s a warrior. Tough, hard-nosed player, so I think he’s going to be okay. We just wish him the best right now.”
McCain was at the tail end of a fairly rough performance against Brooklyn, where he struggled to build momentum in the first half and stuttered through a brutal third quarter that included multiple turnovers, defensive miscues and a three-second violation that drew some scorn from the bench. But McCain began chipping away at his poor night in the fourth, canning a pair of threes and showing off a solid slash-and-kick game as the lead ballhandler for their deep reserves.
The rookie has been one of Philadelphia’s preseason standouts, earning great reviews in training camp for his shotmaking and steely demeanor while leading the Sixers’ scout team. After moving past his immediate health concerns, the Sixers reinforced their belief in McCain on Wednesday night, noting that his Duke pedigree made his quick acclamation unsurprising.
“They all know how to hoop,” Oubre said of the NBA Blue Devils. “He’s very smart, he’s himself, I applaud him for being himself and finding that confidence. And he’s listening, right? I think that’s why he’s succeeding so much. He’s listening, he’s learning every day, he’s just trying to get better.”
This story is developing…
