January 17, 2026
Jared McCain has been assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats for his second stint in the NBA G League, the Sixers said on Saturday afternoon.
McCain, 21, has continued to struggle mightily in what has been a disappointing sophomore campaign, and well over two months into his return from a meniscus injury and a thumb injury there is still not he spark he showed in his shortened rookie season. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse made a concerted effort for several weeks to ensure McCain was playing prolonged stretches in hopes of helping him find a rhythm again, but the sample size has grown to be substantial and the results have not followed.
McCain's minutes were dwindling for several games before Friday night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in which he did not get into the game. Nurse said earlier this week that McCain going back to the G League had not yet been considered, but very much left the door open for it, saying such a move is always possible.
In November, McCain went to Delaware and logged a two-game stint for the Blue Coats. He raved about its value at the time and in the weeks after, which made another trip to the G League feel like a distinct possibility if McCain failed to improve. So when the Blue Coats take on the Noblesville Boom in Indiana on Sunday afternoon, McCain will suit up alongside rookie Johni Broome, two-way player MarJon Beauchamp and others.
There is no question: this is a damning reflection of what McCain's second season has become after the excitement he created in only 23 games as a rookie. But the Sixers clearly do not have a better option now that they have reached full strength and Nurse has proven unable to justify giving McCain rotation minutes.
