Jared McCain Scouting Report

An elite shooter with good intangibles, but has to overcome height concerns

Rich Stayman

Jun 25, 2024

Name: Jared McCain

Birth date: February 20, 2004

Height/Weight: 6’2/203

Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’3 ½/8’2

Hand size: 9 ½

Position: SG

Pre-Draft team: Duke

Tools: Shooting

Background: Often seen as one of the hardest workers in the class. Won gold in the 2022 U18 Tournament. Two time Gatorade Player of the Year in California.

Season stats: 14.3 PPG 5 RPG 1.9 APG 1.1 SPG 0.1 BPG 1.3 TOPG on 46/41/88.5

Pros:

Surprisingly, almost sneaky, quick
Has a beautiful jumper
Excellent transition pull-up shooter
Sets his feet well and quickly on pull-up jumpers
Good defensive instincts; sees plays before they happen
Excellent intangibles and has been crowned with outstanding praise from Duke
Good rebounder
Smart player who doesn’t make many mistakes

Cons:

Undersized 2 but not a 1, and has short arms
A bit old for a freshman
Lost his balance multiple times during Combine drills

Swing Skills:

How does his size allow him to translate up?

Summary:

Jared McCain is one of the top shooters in the draft with a beautiful looking jumper.

Defensively, while his size and short arms will be a limitation, he does have good instincts. He knows where to be, but sometimes he is just too small to make an impact consistently, where bigger plays can win despite McCain doing the right things. How this translates, either in favor or against McCain, will determine if he is a liability or not on the defensive end. Some of the ways that McCain shows his intelligence, particularly on defense, are through tagging the box out and being a fundamental rebounder, reading plays by stepping in front of cuts and next passes, and he knows how to use his quickness to beat ball-handlers to their spots.

Offensively, McCain played an awkward role at Duke as an undersized two alongside two point guards. He was primarily used as a shooter and off-ball threat, which could have hidden some playmaking ability. With how high of universal praise he gets from scouts on all the intangible skills, McCain could qualify as a sleeper guard through the hidden skillsets in his game that couldn’t be shown at Duke, the same way Kentucky guards often get a benefit of the doubt.

With a strong work ethic, an elite skill to hang his hat on, and versatility in his offensive game, McCain is an easy draw towards the back end of the lottery. McCain can easily defy his archetype, and with the right fit he can thrive and hit his ceiling as a starting caliber guard.

Projected draft range: 10-20

Expected role: Shooter that can attack closeouts well and add secondary value either defensively or as a playmaker.

Unplayable if: Tweener as a small combo guard limits his off-ball effectiveness offensively.

Exceeds expectations if: His work ethic pays off and makes him not only a high-level shooter, but also a passable or positive defender.