How 76ers’ Jared McCain is spending time after season-ending meniscus surgery

The Philadelphia 76ers simply haven’t been allowed to have nice things for a consistent period of time throughout the 2024-25 season thus far. Amid injury troubles to Joel Embiid and Paul George, particularly at the beginning of the year, rookie Jared McCain, who slipped through the cracks and fell to the 76ers with the 16th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, stepped up and looked like a star in the making, although that didn’t last too long as the Duke alum suffered a season-ending knee injury.

McCain had been stepping up as one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dreary season for the 76ers, but now, he’s looking to fill plenty of time as he soldiers on in his recovery process from the meniscus tear he sustained. And it looks as though the Tiktok sensation is discovering new hobbies, with Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports revealing that McCain had been learning Spanish as well as learning how to play the piano.

There’s no secret that McCain is a performer and an enjoyer of the Gen Z arts, and developing these new skills should only expand his fanbase all the while he fashions for himself a fruitful NBA career with the 76ers. At the very least, the 20-year-old guard is finding worthwhile ways to spend his time amid the most trying part of his basketball career thus far.

It looks as though the 2024-25 season will be a lost one for the 76ers, as it might be in their best interest to try and keep their top-six protected first-round pick for this year’s draft. But next year, the 76ers will be a team to watch yet again, with McCain’s impending return and a potential cleaner bill of health from Embiid and George providing reasons for hope.

Jared McCain is looking like a long-term keeper for the 76ers