Jared McCain drops 24 points to lead the Thunder to a 123-108 Game 3 win over the Spurs

Jared McCain scored a playoff career-high 24 points off the bench in the Thunder’s 123-108 Game 3 win over the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals on Friday night.

Jared McCain shot 10-for-21 from the floor and was 9-for-11 inside the arc, including a finish over 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama. He’s been a combined plus-37 in the two Thunder wins this series. He was playing in Wilmington, Delaware as a part of the Blue Coats G League team in January.

Jared McCain is Elite (Pain)

Jared McCain 24 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 10/21 FG, 2/2 FT, +28, 54.8% TS vs Spurs https://t.co/DCdN5PA7lA pic.twitter.com/3IJmLe4wk3

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) May 23, 2026

Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers traded this man for the 22nd pick and three second-round picks because Morey believed he was “selling high” which no matter what the front office tells you, means “ducking the tax.”

So yeah, I need everyone to sit with that for a minute. If I have to suffer, you do too.

Jared McCain leaving looks worse every night

When Morey made the deal at the deadline, he told the media and the fanbase that the Sixers had a “glut” of guards. That McCain’s value was at its peak and the smart move was to cash in and that the picks would be more valuable than the player.

The Sixers then proceeded to get swept by the Knicks in the second round with Quentin Grimes as the only guard off the bench while Maxey played 47 minutes a night because there was nobody behind him.

McCain went to Oklahoma City and immediately became a rotation player on the best team in the Western Conference. He’s not riding the bench. He’s not collecting DNPs. He’s scoring 24 points in a Conference Finals game against the Spurs.

He’s outmuscling Wembanyama at the rim. He’s spacing the floor, driving to the basket, and providing exactly the kind of bench production that the Sixers desperately needed and didn’t have when it mattered most.

Jared McCain Flexing on Wemby

JARED MCCAIN FLEXES ON WEMBY AFTER THE BUCKET. COLD. pic.twitter.com/fYmxYGrnMH

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 23, 2026

The Thunder got 76 bench points in Game 3. The Sixers got 11 bench points in Game 3 against the Knicks. That’s the difference between a team that has depth and a team that traded its depth away because the GM thought he was smarter than everyone else.

McCain’s Quote After the Game Says Everything

When asked if his playoff performance was about proving Morey wrong, McCain said “It’s never to prove anybody wrong. I try to keep a positive outlook. I like proving my support system right.”

Jared McCain on Daryl Morey trading him: “It’s never to prove anybody wrong. I try to keep a positive outlook. I like proving my support system right. Daryl’s still the guy that drafted me, so I’ll always have love for him for that. He believed in me enough to take me at No. 16.” pic.twitter.com/nZdfbwUOE0

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 23, 2026

That’s a 22-year-old who got traded away by an organization that didn’t value him, landed on a team that does, and is responding by playing the best basketball of his career on the biggest stage in the sport. No bitterness. No shots at Philly. No dragging Morey through the mud even though he’d have every right to. Just a kid going out and hooping because the team he’s on actually wants him there.

Meanwhile the Sixers fired Morey, are searching for a new president of basketball operations, and will use the 22nd pick from the McCain trade in a draft next month hoping to find someone who can contribute. They traded a guy who is contributing right now in the Conference Finals for the chance to draft someone who might contribute someday.

The McCain trade is the perfect encapsulation of everything that went wrong under Morey in Philadelphia. He prioritized future assets over present production. He valued cap flexibility over actual basketball players.

He treated the roster like a stock portfolio where the goal was to sell high and buy low instead of building a team that could win today. He saw a 22-year-old guard who was developing into a legitimate rotation player and decided the picks were worth more than the player.

The picks were not worth more than the player. Not when the player is scoring 24 in the Conference Finals and the picks haven’t been used yet. Not when the Sixers got swept partly because they had no guard depth. Not when Maxey was logging 47-minute nights because there was nobody behind him to share the load.

Morey is gone. The trade remains. The 22nd pick is all the Sixers have to show for Jared McCain and it better be a damn good selection because the guy they traded is thriving in Oklahoma City and showing no signs of slowing down.

Sold high. Sure, Daryl. Whatever you say.

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