McCain Is Playing 11 More Minutes a Night for the Thunder
With a teammate out, Jared McCain's minutes are climbing well past his season pace for the Thunder.
Jared McCain is playing 11 more minutes a night for the Thunder than his season average. Over his last three games, he averaged 27.8 minutes on the floor. That stretch runs through his most recent game, on May 30, 2026. His season average is 17.3 minutes, across 82 games in 2025-26. The increase came while a teammate was out of the lineup.
The extra time has come with more scoring. McCain put up 15 points over that three-game run. For the season, he is averaging 8.6 points a game. More minutes have meant more chances to score. The role has grown larger than it was for most of the year.
This is not yet a permanent change. It is tied directly to the teammate's absence. As long as that player is out, McCain is the one absorbing the minutes. That gives him a bigger role in the Thunder's rotation right now.
Whether it holds comes down to one thing: the teammate's return. If that player stays out, McCain keeps the expanded minutes and the scoring that comes with them. If the teammate comes back, his numbers would likely settle back toward his season averages, 17.3 minutes and 8.6 points a game. The next few games, and that teammate's health, will decide which version of McCain's role sticks.