Did the Sixers just find their Jared McCain replacement? originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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One of the bigger talking points for the Philadelphia 76ers last season was the decision to trade away Jared McCain at the trade deadline. McCain was a player who had become somewhat of an integral part of the Sixers’ image to the fanbase, receiving a loud roar of support from the Philadelphia faithful every time he checked in.
But truth be told, he was struggling to meet the pace of play he had set during his rookie campaign, before it was cut short due to a meniscus tear. McCain was limited to 6.6 points per game on 38.5 percent from the field, which was a massive reduction from where he was a year prior.
It wasn’t just at the NBA level that the former Duke University star would see some difficulty, as he wouldn’t have the best outing during his stints in the G League, putting up 13.3 points per game, while recording three turnovers a game. These numbers aren’t bad, but for an NBA-level player who had been cleared from an injury, more was expected.
But given his performance with the Western Conference finalists, the Oklahoma City Thunder, there had been some serious doubts cast upon the Sixers’ front office to see how they would respond to the controversial trade, with former President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, stating that the team had “sold high” in the trade. But Philadelphia wouldn’t see any of their players replicate the numbers or archetype that McCain had, but that might have just changed.
The Sixers’ answer to McCain’s departure?
A 6’3″ GUARD FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA. pic.twitter.com/AgFdcGKu98
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 24, 2026
Funnily enough, it appears that the draft pick Philadelphia received for McCain could be what just saw them find his replacement. With the 22nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Sixers selected Labaron Philon Jr from the University of Alabama. Philon entered the draft following a stellar sophomore season with the SEC powerhouse, averaging 22 points and five assists per game, which is comparable, or even better, than what McCain was putting up during his time with the Blue Devils.
Alabama Labaron Philon Jr. https://t.co/o0KZukmos3pic.twitter.com/nzIcSQNtzX
— Pitless (@pitlessball) March 28, 2026
Both players are relatively on the smaller ends of things, but have made their money from the field, with Philon draining 50.1 percent of his shots last season, with some moderate success from beyond the arc, with 39.9 percent of his shots falling in that distance. All of these metrics were about where McCain was ahead of his start to life in the NBA.
The former Sixer turned Thunder star set the bar pretty high when it comes to a rookie campaign, averaging 15.3 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field. But it wasn’t this that caught the eyes of the Philadelphia faithful, as it was his work off the ball, finding open looks, and his efficiency from downtown that took the XFinity Mobile Arena by storm.
While that off-the-ball measure hasn’t been a huge part of Philon’s game at Alabama, it’s something he could pick up in the coming months.
With the same head coach involved, Nick Nurse, could Philadelphia see the rise of yet another small guard in the City of Brotherly Love? Only time will tell, but Philon’s appearances in the upcoming NBA Summer League will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
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