“Everybody was mad at me”: Duke’s Jared McCain unveils his earliest memory of playing basketball

Duke Blue Devils guard Jared McCain has definitely come a long way. And yet, the guard keeps his feet on the ground, reminiscing about his earliest days playing multiple sports until he eventually fell in love with basketball. However, his younger days playing hoops weren`t exactly ideal.

In a short video on Instagram for excel basketball, the 6-foot-2 freshman revealed his earliest memory of playing basketball:

"My earliest memory of playing basketball is I scored on the wrong hoop. [That] was my first basket, I was playing up with one of my brothers and his friends. And in a real game I scored on the wrong hoop and everybody was mad at me, but I was proud of myself."

McCain continues:

"I feel like it`s given me the confidence to always be myself. I credit my parents, my family for all their support for every decision I make. Whether it`s painting my nails or doing TikTok dances, they always give me the confidence wherever I go to be myself. And then, [when] I step on the court, I feel like I trust my work and know that I`m gonna go out there and perform."

And perform, Jared McCain definitely has. Averaging a cool 14.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 46.2% FG (41.4% from three), the Duke guard is projected as a consensus first-rounder in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Bleacher Report, for instance, predicts that McCain could get drafted at 18th overall to the Orlando Magic with just one week before draft night.

McCain is one of only two Duke players projected to be picked. The other one is sophomore big man Kyle Filipowski, who is predicted to go a bit later than McCain.

Who else could draft Jared McCain?

Being a first-rounder would be an excellent outcome for Jared McCain. But being picked at 18 isn`t the only potential reality for him once draft night rolls on in New York.

As per Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports` mock drafts, the Duke guard could go as high as 15th overall to the Miami Heat. Their biggest reasons for putting them there are as follows: his ability to hit tough shots against defenses, as well as his elite-level three-point shooting.

Someone like that for the Heat could offset a lot of the load on Tyler Herro or Jimmy Butler when they`re getting blitzed by the defense.