Why a ‘wired differently’ Jared McCain’s ability to hit shots has Blue Devils on a tear
Jared McCain arrived at Duke with style and flair, armed with a magnetic, easy-going personality that belies his serious work ethic.
Over the past month, that has come together magnificently on the court, and the No. 14 Blue Devils have benefited.
A freshman guard, McCain is averaging 19.4 points per game during Duke’s current five-game winning streak, including Tuesday night’s 86-66 ACC win over Syracuse at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
McCain led Duke’s dominant second half by, making four 3-pointers, on the way to an 18-point scoring performance. The 6-3 shooter has topped the 20-point mark three times during his stretch, including a career-best 24 points when Duke pounded Queens, 106-69, last Saturday.
It’s the kind of output the coaching staff hoped for when they recruited McCain, who was named California’s Gatorade Player of the Year the past two seasons while playing at Sacramento’s Centennial High School.
Just as importantly, McCain envisioned this for himself when he joined the Blue Devils this season.
“I feel like I’ve worked so hard for these moments,” McCain said. “When I get in the moment, I just trust my work and my stamina. Being in the gym late nights, early mornings, being in those moments and just being able to embrace them. I feel like I’ve worked so hard for these moments and it’s the perfect time for me to just have fun.”
Adding substance to style
With his painted fingernails and dance moves that attracted nearly two million followers to his TikTok social media account, McCain exudes fun.
But getting to this level of play so quickly in his college career didn’t come easily. As freshmen tend to do, McCain struggled with consistency. He made just 3 of 10 shots, scoring six points, when the Blue Devils lost, 72-68, at Georgia Tech on Dec. 2.
That was one game after McCain hit just 1 of 7 shots in Duke’s 80-75 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 29.
Those losses led to some tough practices for the Blue Devils in early December. When that work was done, Duke beat Charlotte, 80-56, on Dec. 9, with McCain scoring 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting.
“For Jared,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said that day, “he goes through probably the worst shooting stretch he’s had in his life. He hadn’t played as well. We lose and there’s a lot of attention on it. For him to come out the way he did, it talks about his character. He’s just tough minded.”
Fast forward another 11 days to Dec. 20 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where Duke survived a back-and-forth game while defeating Baylor, 78-70. McCain hit three 3-pointers, scoring 21 points.
After that win, McCain said he put his social media accounts aside. The negativity aimed his way from his earlier struggles remained toxic. His large TikTok following draws him considerable income. So his brother runs things and they post videos McCain shot months ago.
“I knew it was going to come so I already had a plan,” McCain said. “Yeah, just staying away from that.”
It’s working. Including the Syracuse game, he’s hit at least three 3-pointers in each of the past five games. He’s hit four 3-pointers in back-to-back games.
‘Duke shots’ that bury the opposition
Duke senior guard Jeremy Roach saw McCain’s confidence growing as he gained experience over the season’s first two months.
“I think he knows where he wants to go on the floor,” Roach said. “He knows what to expect now. As a freshman you are going to have those ups and downs but I think he’s kind of figuring out his role and figuring out what he needs to do on a daily basis.”
Scheyer said McCain is joining the list of great shooters the program has produced by hitting what he called a “Duke shot.”
“Jared McCain had some back-breaking 3s,” Scheyer said after the Syracuse game. “It’s a Duke shot, that transition wing 3. Those are 3s I grew up watching JJ Redick take, Trajan Langdon.”
Transition 3-pointers and 3-pointers off an offensive rebound and kick-out are Duke shots, in Scheyer’s lexicon. The Blue Devils are thriving in that area of late.
“Jared, he’s just wired differently,” Scheyer said. “He’s wired that way. We talked about those shots, and he has my full blessing to shoot them because he’s a really good shooter. But, also, it’s who we are as a program. Those are our shots.”
Sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski is Duke’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game. But Duke’s offense is now more than just getting the ball to the preseason ACC player of the year.
Together, Roach, McCain, Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster and reserve Jaylen Blakes give Duke the kind of backcourt firepower and toughness needed to win big.
Averaging 14.5 points per game, Roach has made 48.8% of his 3-pointers this season.
McCain’s season scoring average is 12.2 points, still weighted down by his struggles earlier this season. But he’s made 46.9% of his 3-pointers.
Looking deeper, McCain is adept at putting the ball in the basket in a number of ways. He’s made 47.2% of his shots inside the 3-point line and 90% of his free throws (18 of 20).
Using an advanced statistic known as true shooting percentage, which takes into account all those shots, McCain is at 62.5%, according to KenPom.com. That’s currently No. 138 nationally but he’s rising up that list rapidly as he stacks one strong performance after another.
Roach is even better at 63.7%, which is No. 92 nationally.
The top two players nationally are Syracuse’s Maliq Brown, who is at 76% after scoring 26 points against Duke on Tuesday night, and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard (75%).
If Duke keeps playing like it has the past five games, with McCain and Roach scoring like they have, those two will continue to rise in that statistic’s national rankings.
Roach, the sage veteran, has the knowledge, experience and talent to lead the Blue Devils far. McCain is proving to be equally as valuable despite being a comparative college basketball neophyte.
That’s been scary for Duke opponents of late.