After missing nearly 11 months of action due to knee and thumb injuries, Sixers guard Jared McCain has looked shaky in his first three games back. Playing just 31 total minutes across those three outings, McCain has gone scoreless on 0-of-9 shooting.
In the hopes of getting McCain more comfortable on the court and getting him more full-speed reps, the 76ers assigned the second-year guard to the G League on Thursday, as Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports relays (Twitter links). The expectation is that he’ll suit up for the Delaware Blue Coats tonight and again on Saturday before being recalled to the NBA.
“I just really want him to get some trips up and down the court,” Nurse said (Twitter video link). “I think that’s a good little window for him, a couple home games for them. Then he’ll be right back in the swing of things. … Just get him up and down and get some conditioning. (He’s had) three really short stints in the last 11 months. This is maybe a couple of chances to have some longer stints.”
Here are a few more items of interest from around the Atlantic:
- Sixers forward Dominick Barlow, who has been out since October 25 due to a right elbow injury, has been cleared to return, Nurse told reporters today (Twitter link via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports). Barlow was Philadelphia’s starting power forward in the two games he played, but Trendon Watford has been handling that role as of late.
- After playing crunch-time minutes in the Celtics‘ previous two games, Jordan Walsh was inserted into the starting five on Wednesday for the first time this season, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. Walsh had seven points, six rebounds, and two blocks with a +19 plus/minus mark in 18 minutes of action as Boston blew out the Grizzlies. “Honestly, I just think he’s been more professional and maturing,” teammate Payton Pritchard said of Walsh, who played a limited role in each of his first two seasons. “Now, he’s ready for the moment. Just stressing him to like don’t take it for granted. Come hungry still every day and keep pushing.”
- Walsh’s promotion has come largely at the expense of Josh Minott, who played a season-low eight minutes on Tuesday and didn’t appear in the second half, then came off the bench on Wednesday after having made nine straight starts. Minott is struggling with his consistency, Robb writes, though the 6’8″ forward ended up seeing plenty of action in Wednesday’s one-sided victory, registering nine points, five rebounds, and four assists in 22 minutes.
- Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, who was fined $25K for throwing a water bottle that ricocheted off the court and hit a game attendant, apologized for that incident, according to Danielle Michaud of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). “It was just the emotions of the game came out then,” Ingram said. “Like, how I was playing offensively and defensively, just frustration. I wish I wouldn’t have had anybody else involved when I did that. I apologized a bunch of times to the kid that got hit in the face with the water bottle — it wasn’t my intention at all. I was just frustrated in the midst of the game.”