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The calendar has flipped to August. Which means we're in the annual drought in the NBA's year-round calendar. Don't expect much to happen over the next couple of months. Teams across the league are in vacation mode and just waiting for the 2026-27 season to start.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short of a second NBA championship, but remain in the meat of the title conversation. Bringing back mostly the same crew, expect them to be one of the league's top teams for a fourth straight year.
To prepare for the 2026-27 regular season, Thunder Wire will lay out three goals for all 17 players on the roster. OKC has 14 standard players and three two-way players. Let's look at Jared McCain and what he could accomplish this upcoming year:
Be best bench outside shooter
The deck is cleared for McCain. The Thunder said goodbye to a handful of role players this summer. The cost-cutting moves were made with confidence that the rest of the roster can step up in their absences. In comes the 22-year-old. As a mid-season acquisition, he was awesome. He helped the Thunder win a couple of games in the Western Conference Finals. Of all the role players, he showed he's not afraid of the national spotlight.
McCain shot 38.5% from 3 on 3.8 attempts in his time in OKC. It's now about keeping that up for an entire regular season. His outside jumper is what helped him make the NBA. He can both be a catch-and-shoot threat and create his own offense. Think he'll benefit the most playing alongside Isaiah Hartenstein. Let's see if he can uptick his volume in a larger role.
Become double-digit scorer
With a vacuum of possessions up for grabs, McCain could receive a scoring boost. Only natural that'll happen with him becoming more important in their rotation. He averaged 10.4 points in 30 regular-season games with OKC. A pretty amazing number, considering he was learning on the fly as an NBA trade deadline move. Think he'll have every opportunity to keep that number up.
McCain has the bag to be a double-digit scorer. He'll be funneled plenty of outside jumpers. He can also play with both the starters and second-unit lineups. He averaged 10 points in the NBA playoffs. If he just has a decent outside shooting season, then he'll easily cross off this goal. The Thunder have had double-digit scorers off the bench over the years. Such as Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. Now, it's his turn to be their microwave scorer.
Cut out bad drives
When McCain got into a scoring rhythm, he became creative. He'd get daring and drive to the rim. More often than not, though, he'd fail to finish through traffic. When he was on the Thunder, he shot 57.1% on shot attempts that were 0-3 feet from the basket. A pretty poor percentage for NBA standards. He needs to figure out how to eliminate those poor shot attempts in his shot diet. Either by being a better finisher or just no longer being a driver.
Two seasons into his NBA career, McCain grades out as a prolific jump shooter. He's great at hitting difficult shot attempts and can cash in outside looks. But when it comes to putting his head down and driving to the rim, he has to polish his game. Or go the Lu Dort route and just stick to jumpers only. Can't have a record-scratch moment in your halfcourt possessions.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder 3 goals: Jared McCain should build off playoff momentum
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