Rookie Jared McCain is adjusting to NBA life in his quest to help the Sixers

At the start of the second quarter on Monday night, Jared McCain played his first NBA game.

Sure, it was only the preseason and against non-NBA competition, but the Duke rookie was allowed to take the floor in a Sixers jersey for the first time at the Wells Fargo Center. With a white headband, red and blue painted nails and a smile, McCain made his lifelong dream come true.

“It's the best feeling of my life,” he said after the game. “I was nervous, but it was incredible.”

The nervousness was obvious.

McCain suffered two fouls 24 seconds into his stint. Head coach Nick Nurse said McCain also missed a defensive assignment.

“I think you’re going to make some mistakes out there,” Nurse said. “He came in and fouled out… didn't get one of the defensive plans right. He made about three mistakes checking in, as fast as you can make them.”

But the 20-year-old deserves kudos – he settled in and helped the Sixers to a 139-84 victory over the NBL's New Zealand Breakers. McCain finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a team-high 27 minutes.

Overall, it wasn't the most efficient night (5 of 14), but McCain showed off his great shooting ability, hitting 4 of 9 from three. The impressive thing about McCain's shot is how quickly he can fire it from 6 feet away. From the dribble, from the catch, from 30 feet, McCain will shoot it all, and fast.

“Yeah, he can get her up, man,” the nurse said. “He comes off the screens hard. He's a guy who finds room to open up. In addition, he has a pretty good driving game. …quick releases and all that stuff. It’s really important.”

When Nicolas Batum was with the Sixers last season, he showed off his ability to hit no-dip threes. Batum caught the ball already in shooting position, caught it almost immediately and shot it. With a height of 1.80 meters and a wingspan of 2.10 meters, Batum is the type of player you would expect.

But a 6-foot-3 guard with a 6-foot-3 wingspan?

As Nurse said, McCain can make a lot of threes in a heartbeat. That is a skill in itself. No, it wasn't an NBA contest, but the ability to shoot nine three-pointers in 27 minutes is impressive.

The no-dip shot is part of McCain's focus on getting the ball up quickly despite the NBA's length and athleticism.

“As a smaller guard, I think you have to be able to do that,” McCain said. “If I want to be a small guard who catches and shoots, you have to have a quick release because everyone is so big in this league. But it's something I've been working on for a while. It’s nice to see it displayed.”

There is no doubt that it was McCain's shots that earned him 16th place in the standings. At Duke, he hit over 41% of his threes. He did big things in big places. Even in high school, it was the shot that drew talent evaluators to McCain.

But he has much more to offer. His ability to recover at his size is outstanding. He pulled down seven boards Monday and averaged five per game for the Blue Devils. For a guard of his size who doesn't have outstanding athletic ability, that's remarkable. He is also better at dribbling than advertised.

Nurse has praised his rookie since his selection by the team. He continued to praise him throughout camp, noting that his game is about more than just his jumper. That praise continued Monday after the game.

“First time on an NBA floor. In a game like this you don't really have to worry about foul issues; He was still going to play a lot tonight,” Nurse said. “And you’re right, he’s settled in. He gets a bucket and sets off. He's competing again and I like that about him. He's pretty tough. Pretty good game after a shaky start.”

Another adjustment for McCain: rookie duties. Because he was a heavily recruited player at Duke, he was in no way treated as a freshman by upperclassmen. During training camp in the Bahamas, he was on smoothie duty for Kyle Lowry (while picking the 38-year-old's brain).

McCain, along with fellow rookies Adem Bona and Justin Edwards, are simply trying to master the basics before they even step on the court.

“We're sitting in the locker room and I have no idea how much time I have,” McCain said. “Can I go to the toilet? Are we talking to the coaches now? When does the film start? When do we finish the rim-out? I have no idea about that at all. We just laugh about it. You just have to find your rhythm, find your routine and talk to the vets.”

With a preseason game in the books, McCain should only feel more comfortable from here.