Jared McCain stood between the media scrum, fielding questions after his morning shootaround. It was Monday, March 23, seven hours before the Philadelphia 76ers tipped off against the league-best Oklahoma City Thunder.
Out of context, this was a routine media availability for the second-year guard out of Duke. But that wasn’t the case, as McCain was preparing for his first return to Philly after being dealt to the Thunder on February 4.
“It’s definitely different," McCain said. "Never done it before. Even just arriving here, it was very weird just going to the hotel, and being on the opposing side, but happy to be back.