Why is Jared McCain not playing against Charlotte Hornets? Reason behind Sixers rookie's absence explored (Dec. 20)

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to get their second win in a row and their ninth of the season on Friday when they host the Charlotte Hornets. Joel Embiid is reportedly trending in the right direction to play.

Jared McCain, however, will stay on the sidelines for this Eastern Conference matchup. The young guard already missed the previous matchup vs. the Hornets, and he's not going to suit up for the rematch, either.

The Sixers will have to rely on Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and — hopefully — Embiid to hold down the fort vs. another struggling team, as Caleb Martin will also be out for this game.

What happened to Jared McCain?

Jared McCain suffered a meniscus tear. It's unclear when he sustained the injury, as he played 28 minutes vs. the Indiana Pacers on Friday before being ruled out for the next game. The team announced that he underwent successful surgery.

"Listen, certainly surgery went well," coach Nick Nurse said Thursday. "Very optimistic about how it went and how the recovery will be. He's obviously still trying to come to grips with all that kind of stuff. Very disappointed. I feel bad for him."

Nurse acknowledged that not having McCain out there on the court is a big hit to their offense. Of course, he also addressed McCain's emotions, as this was a massive blow for the promising rookie:

“He’s a real, real bright spot for us, and it is a tremendous blow. I think always for him. He’s really [disappointed]. He’s down as you might have imagined about it because he was excited about where he was doing things.”

These injuries are tricky, so while the surgery went well, the team still doesn't know when he'll be able to return to the court. He's out indefinitely and most likely out for the season:

“I don’t really know (when he'll be back),” Nurse said. “I think it’s a pretty long process to get back. We did get news out of the surgery yesterday that things went really well and they are very optimistic. But I don’t know what that means timeline-wise.”

Jared McCain's season so far

Prior to the injury, Jared McCain looked like the steal of the NBA Draft. He was leading the Rookie of the Year race, averaging 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game on 46.0% shooting.

Whether he was starting or coming off the bench, the 16th pick was the best first-year player in the league by a significant stretch. Now, he's looking at a long way back.