Is Jared McCain going to the NBA? A look at the Duke star's future in college basketball
Most recently, Duke Blue Devils freshman guard Jared McCain put on a three-point shooting exhibition that's almost never been seen in college basketball to date. He punched 8-of-11 threes and 35 points total in Duke's latest 76-67 win over Florida State, causing his name to catapult in fans and analysts' rankings of potential high-level NBA draft picks.
As he's still quite young, there could be options for him to either continue honing his skillset at Duke or finally take his talents to the pros. Here's a quick look.
Is Jared McCain going to the NBA?
At this point, there are only two answers to this question, and it all relies on Jared McCain himself. With the Blue Devils well on its way to the postseason (2nd in the ACC behind North Carolina), he'll have far more opportunities to raise his draft stock. But for all intents and purposes, he is eligible for the 2024 NBA draft.
Outside of his bombastic performance against the Seminoles, he remains a solid piece for Duke's offense. He's currently averaging just under 14 points a game on 46.2% FG shooting, which is on par for an undersized two-guard like him.
He has already improved so much on his late 2023 stat line, wherein his sub-par performance had analysts predicting his draft stock on a downward spiral (via USA Today).
Jared McCain NBA draft projection
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing around 200 lbs (no wingspan data yet), Jared McCain is, first and foremost, a shooting guard who can score on his own when the play fails. But at his height and weight, he'll most definitely be classified as undersized for his position in the NBA, where two-guards could have around two inches and about 50-100 lbs on him at most on any given night.
His three-point shooting definitely makes him able to fit in a modern NBA team, though. As of this writing, Jared McCain averages an excellent 41.1% from downtown for his career. His shooting alone has analysts putting him at most a potential first-round pick, but definitely not in the lottery. Bleacher Report goes as far as putting him dead last in the first round to the Boston Celtics.
This projection sounds about right, because an undersized guard of Jared McCain's skillset is not much of a commodity in the NBA anymore. Every single team has their own two-guard that can consistently shoot the ball, and that player most probably is more physically imposing than the Duke guard.
Still, McCain has already shown NBA range, and his consistency from deep could still make him a valuable asset-just not on a team picking in the lottery.