Oklahoma City Thunder's Jared McCain Draws Honest Verdict From Coach After 26-Point Performance Vs. Brooklyn Nets 1 Mar 18, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith (18) and forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jared McCain Draws Honest Verdict From Coach After 26-Point Performance Vs. Brooklyn Nets

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 8:07 AM ET

Jared McCain provided a huge spark off the bench in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 121-92 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, as the former 16th overall pick had 26 points (team-high), three rebounds, two blocks, and five three-pointers on 9-for-16 shooting from the field in 29 minutes of action.

McCain is looking more and more like a key contributor to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and head coach Mark Daigneault made sure to give McCain his flowers during the postgame press conference.

“He’s definitely integrated well,” Daigneault said of McCain via The Oklahoman. “He’s learning his teammates… He’s done a really good job of committing to our fundamentals and the things we need to do on the defensive end of the floor. And obviously he’s a very potent offensive player.”

“It was a business-like effort by the team. When it comes to your habits, you’re getting better or worse every night, and we got better tonight, which is a credit to the guys,” he added. “We played in character the whole game on both ends of the floor, got contributions from everybody, but most importantly, played to our identity and played to our habits.”

Oklahoma City Thunder News: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander barely breaks a sweat in win vs. Brooklyn Nets

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extended his 20-point streak to 130 straight games on Wednesday night, as he had 20 points, three rebounds, six assists, and three steals on 8-for-9 shooting from the field in 26 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets.

“Just the approach, the approach he has every single game. He takes his craft very serious, and when he comes out on the court, you can tell it’s just that confidence. Being able to have 20 points on nine shots is incredible, especially in the NBA and any game,” Jared McCain on Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Seeing the work he puts in, I try to emulate everything, watch everything and ask him questions. It’s really awesome to just be firsthand and see what an MVP is like. It’s just awesome,” he ended.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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