Jared McCain NBA draft projection: Where will the Duke star get picked?
Jared McCain had a strong true freshman season with the Duke Blue Devils. The five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.2% from the field, 41.4% from 3-point range and 88.5% from the free-throw line.
His production took a leap across four games in the NCAA Tournament, likely boosting his draft stock. McCain averaged 21.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg and 0.8 spg while shooting 50.0% from the field, 50.0% from 3-point range and 94.7% from the free-throw line. He was among a group of 24 players who received an invite to attend the 2024 NBA draft.
This year will mark the first time that the draft takes place across two days as the first round is set to begin on Wednesday, while the second round will take place on Thursday. McCain is considered close to a lock to be among the players off the board on the first night of the draft.
While the former Blue Devils guard had a strong season, he is not projected to be a top 10 pick. He is expected to land either in the latter portion of the draft lottery or just outside of it. Some projections have him slipping past the 20th pick; however, the consensus is that his offensive skills will lead to him being selected before that point.
Jared McCain receives praise from Duke Blue Devils coach ahead of 2024 NBA draft
Jared McCain spent his lone season of college basketball playing for the Duke Blue Devils under Jon Scheyer. His coach gave him strong praise ahead of the 2024 NBA draft:
"Jared is one of a kind. You know, his personality, the fact you get to coach a guy who brings incredible energy on a daily basis, but the thing is, as a coach, you love a guy that's consistent and dependable, where you know what you're gonna get every single day. And Jared McCain never had a bad day at Duke.
"Never had a bad day. He was always fully committed. He's true to himself, and it's nice when you make eight 3s in a game and you score 30-plus points, and those things aren't bad either, but who he is as a competitor, I know that stands out to a lot of teams with the guy they're gonna be getting on and off the court."
Check out Jon Scheyer's comments on Jared McCain: