The Eastern Conference’s first Rookie of the Month for the 2024-25 season is standout Sixers guard Jared McCain.
Both the Eastern and Western Conference’s winners were non-lottery picks. The West’s Rookie of the Month was Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells, who went 39th overall in the NBA draft. The Sixers took McCain with the 16th pick.
Through 18 games, McCain has averaged a rookie-leading 16.0 points, 2.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds. His shooting numbers have dipped lately — McCain is 2 for his last 21 from three-point range — but the 20-year-old has already displayed heaps of offensive skill, maturity and confidence.
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He excelled when Tyrese Maxey was sidelined by a right hamstring injury and scored at least 20 points in each of the Sixers’ seven games between Nov. 10 and Nov. 22.
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“I just try to take it moment by moment, be present,” McCain said on Nov. 10 after the Sixers’ overtime victory over the Hornets. “And when you’re present, I feel like you react in the moment. You feel everything that’s happening around you and you react to it, so it’s a great feeling to be present.”
According to a Sixers press release, McCain is the seventh player in team history to win a Rookie of the Month award and the first since Ben Simmons in March 2018.