Jared McCain has to be in cloud nine right now. McCain, who came over to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Philadelphia 76ers in a midseason trade, has flourished through the first two games of their second-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday, in Game 2, McCain scored 18 points in 18 minutes off the bench to help the Thunder to a 125-107 victory, giving them a 2-0 lead in the series.
This is a bit of an encore to the scoring display McCain put up for the Thunder in their Game 1 win, when he recorded 12 points on 4-7 shooting from the field (4-5 from deep) to put the Lakers away in the fourth quarter back on Tuesday night.
Every solid McCain game for the Thunder has to be reminding the 76ers of what they're missing, and they did seem to not have sold high enough on the 22-year-old guard. But now, McCain has fully embraced being a member of the Thunder now that he's put the initial shock of that trade completely in the rearview mirror.
“I thank God every day. This is a blessing. When I first got traded, it was heartbreaking. At that point, it was heartbreaking and I did not understand what was going on. But coming here, it's been nothing but love,” McCain told the NBA on Prime Nightcap crew.
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“I thank God every day. This is a blessing. When I first got traded, it was heartbreaking… Coming here, it's been nothing but love."
Jared McCain on being traded to the Thunder 🙌
(via @NBAonPrime)pic.twitter.com/EZc9OGlqGq
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 8, 2026
McCain's personality was easy to fit into this Thunder team to begin with, and he has integrated himself into the team so seamlessly out of his unceasing gratefulness for how this turn of events in his career has been working out for the best.
“I'm just so grateful. I share my gratitude with the team, maybe a little too much sometimes, sometimes I get on their nerves. But I appreciate them and everything they do for me and my career. It's worked out and it's a blessing to be here. And I'm truly, truly grateful. Every single day, every moment I get to thank God everyday for being in Oklahoma City,” McCain added.
Jared McCain has to be in cloud nine right now. McCain, who came over to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Philadelphia 76ers in a midseason trade, has flourished through the first two games of their second-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.