He’s had his moments on the court but we’re talking about his willingness to learn off of it too.
One of the most striking things about Jared McCain as he gets ready for his rookie season as a Philadelphia 76er is his willingness, indeed his eagerness, to seek out help and advice. Recently we learned he wrote to Patrick Beverly to ask him for any advice about playing in the NBA.
Now he’s on record as saying that he’d like to emulate fellow Duke Brotherhood member and current NBA champion Jayson Tatum, saying this of the prize Celtic: “I mean, if I could follow Jayson Tatum’s path exactly, I’d call that a real successful career for me. But any help I can get from anybody from Duke, from the Duke family, Duke brotherhood. Whether it’s something I want to get into after basketball, business-wise, or just basketball-wise, or just being an NBA player off the court. There’s so much stuff I can learn. Especially from a guy like Tatum.”
This is a smart attitude for anyone going into a new environment and particularly a viciously competitive league like the NBA. The only guy we can think of who ever disdained veterans was Larry Bird, who said he realized in three days that he would dominate the NBA. He then told his teammates that he wasn’t ever carrying anyone’s bag so they better forget the rookie hazing routine. He didn’t and they did.
For just about everyone else though, being a rookie is not easy and of course relatively few players actually stick in the league for long at all.
McCain’s eagerness to learn and his exuberant personality (not to mention work ethic) are going to help him a lot as he adjusts to life in the NBA.
By the way, if you were wondering, Patrick answered his request for advice: “I think most of what he was saying is just always be you. Always find a way to be yourself in any situation …Whether you win or lose, bad game or good game, just stick to your routine, no matter what it is.”
