Injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell should have left Oklahoma City scrambling for offense. Jared McCain has turned that gap into a playable postseason answer.
The Thunder are getting more than emergency minutes
McCain made the first playoff start of his career in Game 5, and he played nothing like a placeholder. He scored 20 points, third on the team behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso, and the timing carried as much weight as the total.
NBA.com tracked most of his scoring across the third and fourth quarters, when San Antonio kept chipping at the lead. He hit jumpers down the stretch and shared the closing minutes with Caruso.
His scoring opens the second layer of the offense
Oklahoma City can hold up without Williams as long as another perimeter scorer punishes the scrambling defense once the first advantage forms. McCain has done that in the Thunder’s wins, scoring in double figures in Games 2, 3 and 5, all Oklahoma City victories, including a playoff career-high 24 off the bench in Game 3 with a finish over Victor Wembanyama.
He is averaging 14.3 points in the series. The Thunder have needed that second creator on the nights San Antonio muddies Gilgeous-Alexander’s looks, and McCain supplies it without the offense being rebuilt around him.
The bench role travels into the starting lineup
McCain is the same pace-changing guard who came off the bench in Games 2 and 3, now doing it from the opening five. The spark held when the minute pattern changed.
Mark Daigneault has leaned on him for a reason. McCain plays with the kind of shot confidence that keeps playoff possessions from turning timid, which Oklahoma City needs when the Spurs turn a game into a string of recoveries and second efforts. He was in the G League in January and is closing conference finals games in May.
What it means beyond the injury report
Williams’ return still raises Oklahoma City’s ceiling, and McCain hasn’t replaced an All-NBA forward. Even so, the Thunder have learned they can win a high-leverage game with McCain as a genuine creator in the starting group.
That hands Oklahoma City a cleaner path to closing the series. If San Antonio keeps tilting its defense toward the stars, McCain has already shown he can turn that attention into real offense.
Receive exclusive NBA news and updates twice a week to your mailbox