It only took one start to realize Jared McCain is another hidden gem for the 76ers

In one start, Jared McCain continued to prove that he's emerged as another hidden gem for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since drafting Joel Embiid with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers haven't had the best of luck with their selections. In fact, it wasn't until 2020 that they hit again on a draft pick (depending on how you label Ben Simmons and that situation). Maxey quickly developed into the start through the first few years of his career for the Sixers.

As the team continues to attempt to build out a contender around Embiid, it seems as if the Sixers have managed to do it again. With the way that Jared McCain is playing through the first month of the regular season, it does seem as if Philly has managed to find another hidden gem. In fact, I'd suggest that it only took one regular season start for the Sixers to realize they may have hit the lottery with the McCain pick.

In what was described to be a "bad" draft, if the Sixers managed to find a "star-worthy" player in McCain with the 16th pick, it could go a long way in helping this team build their title-worthy supporting cast. Sure, it's still early, but as McCain has gotten a bigger role and more opportunities, he's continued to impress.

Jared McCain turned heads in his lone start

In his one start for the Sixers this season, McCain finished with 34 points and 10 assists on 46 percent shooting from 3-point range. Over his last four games specifically, McCain is leading the Sixers in scoring, averaging 26 points and four assists on 43 percent shooting from 3-point range. With his impressive player over the last few games, he's quickly emerged as the leading scorer in the NBA among rookies.

With the way he's played recently, I'm not sure if the Sixers can afford to not have him in the starting lineup. Alongside Tyrese Maxey, they could create one of the most dynamic offensive backcourts in the league. I could be getting ahead of myself but that's how impressive McCain has looked so far this season.

Maybe that's putting too much pressure on his shoulders too quickly but McCain is passing every exam that the Sixers have thrown at him so far this season. No matter how the Sixers handle his role moving forward, one thing has become abundantly clear over the last few games - and it's that McCain has become a secret weapon for the Sixers.

I'm not saying that McCain is going to be the difference in the Sixers making a deep playoff run or not this season but to say that he doesn't have the capability to make a huge impact would be insane. McCain is not going to average 26 points per game for the rest of the season. But if he can even continue to produce half that production, it completely alters the ceiling for the Sixers. Of course, though, it comes with the biggest. caveat of all - if the Sixers can remain healthy.