Well, the news could’ve been a whole lot worse.
A day after the Sixers announced that Jared McCain had suffered a UCL tear in his right thumb during a workout, ESPN’s Shams Charania is reporting the second-year
guard will need surgery but that he’ll only miss approximately 4-6 weeks.
Four weeks would be Oct. 24, meaning it’s highly unlikely McCain will be ready for the opener. But the good news is that even six weeks would be Nov. 7, which would mean he’d miss roughly eight games. Of course the Sixers would prefer to have their 2024 first-round pick on the floor from the start, but missing eight games of an 82-game season is far from the end of the world.
What makes McCain’s injury situation a bit trickier to navigate is the uncertainty surrounding restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. Daryl Morey said at media day Friday he was hopeful the team and Grimes could come to a resolution over the next few days. As a reminder, Grimes has until Oct. 1 to sign his qualifying offer. All the recent reporting indicates a one-year balloon deal might be the best compromise for both sides.
If you’re looking for any type of positive regarding the news of McCain or Grimes it’s that this could lead to a real opportunity for No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe. Just about every person who spoke at media day raved about the Baylor product’s athleticism, high motor and desire to get better. Nick Nurse indicated the rookie will get opportunities to play on the ball this season — those opportunities could come sooner than many thought.
The Sixers will have a pair of practices this weekend before heading to Abu Dhabi to take on the New York Knicks for a pair of preseason games.
