Sharp-shooting Duke guard Jared McCain selected in NBA Draft first round. Where he’s going

Returning to the site of one of his best games in a Duke uniform, Jared McCain took another big step in his basketball career during Wednesday night’s NBA Draft.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected McCain, a 6-2 guard, with the No. 16 overall pick of the draft’s first round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In the same building, back on March 24, McCain made 8 of 11 3-point attempts to score 30 points in Duke’s 93-55 NCAA Tournament second-round win over James Madison. That was one of two times McCain hit eight 3-pointers in a game for the Blue Devils during his freshman season. McCain also made 8 of 11 3s, while setting a Duke freshman record with 35 points, in a 76-67 win at Florida State on Feb. 17.

“The Sixers got a winner, a leader, and one of the best shooters in this entire draft class with Jared McCain,” ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas said on X (formerly known as Twitter).

McCain broke into tears before he even reached the stage at the draft to shake NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand. McCain hugged his older brother, Jared, and was greeted by Duke coach Jon Scheyer and former Blue Devils forward Kyle Filipowski, among others.

“I’m just excited to embrace the challenge and embrace the process and have fun with it,” McCain said. “It’s a blessing to even be here.”

During his lone season with the Blue Devils, McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while making 46.2% of his shots. That included sinking 41.4% of his 3-point attempts.

McCain’s skills, particularly as a catch-and-shoot threat on offense, should fit in well on the Sixers with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

“Yeah, I’m just excited to learn from (Embiid), learn from both Maxey and him,” McCain said. “Obviously they are elite scorers, so I think I can space the floor and create space for them. I’m excited to get to know them and learn as much as possible from them.”

McCain’s selection means the Blue Devils have now had at least one first-round selection in 13 of the last 14 drafts.

Duke has had a freshman selected in 11 consecutive NBA Drafts.

McCain started all 36 games for Duke last season as the Blue Devils (27-9) advanced to within one win of the Final Four. When N.C. State beat Duke, 76-64, in the South Regional final, McCain scored 32 points while playing all 40 minutes. He made 5 of 11 3-pointers in that game.