OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain traveled roughly 2,480 miles to workout with All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. Head coach Mark Daigneault said McCain is driven amid Thunder training camp in, which has been an ongoing theme in describing Jared's approach to his third season in the NBA.

He's been determined to improve since the summer. With a Lu Dort void left in Oklahoma City's starting lineup ahead of 2026-27, McCain is in line for an increased role this upcoming season, along with Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell. For most, Wallace and Mitchell are considered to have the best odds of being promoted to Daigneault's starting lineup.

However, in forecasting the Thunder's immediate future, McCain, coming off the healthiest NBA season he's had after playing only 23 games his rookie season, could make the biggest leap out of the three candidates projected to replace Dort. Amidst McCain's first training camp with the Thunder, he's focused on expanding his overall game beyond being Oklahoma City's 3-point specialist.

“There's so much room for improvement for me. From last year, I think I got so much better throughout just the little time I was there. For me, that was a big focus in the offseason,” McCain said. “Then, coming here, just being able to make that a bigger emphasis for myself. Not just being able to come in and make shots, but being able to affect the game on both sides of the ball. Ajay does a really good job of that. So, just trying to improve in little increments every day.”

Jared McCain made 39.1% of his 3-point attempts for the Thunder last season, which set a new career-high. Ahead of his first full season with in Oklahoma City, McCain is also getting used to playing alongside Jalen Williams, who Jared shared the floor with in only nine games last season, while he was still adapting to his new team.

Now, he has a better sense of his Thunder team at full strength, and is improving on both ends of the floor, which could increase his chances to start.

“We want to play fast. We want to get out and run. We're able to get turnovers and stops when we're able to run,” McCain added. “I feel like that's our bread and butter: getting out in transition, and I can run the floor and get those open threes when they collapse on a Dub [Jalen Williams] or a Shai for a layup.”

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Playing alongside a healthy Williams over the summer and now during training camp, McCain can feel the difference compared to a limited Williams last season. With Jared as a consistent threat from beyond the 3-point arc, he would be the main beneficiary for open looks when Jalen or Gilgeous-Alexander drive to the hoop, which could be what the Thunder have been testing out during camp.

“It's been awesome, being able to play with him in some of these drills, and it's live play in training camp,” McCain said. “Obviously, an amazing talent. Being able to play off of him, especially him playing fast, and I'm able to run the floor with him, like I said before, I'll be able to run the floor. And if they collapse on him, I'm out there for a three. He's a great passer as well. So, it's been awesome learning different guys that I haven't been able to play with that much. I really been happy to be here in training camp.”

However, for a top-ranked defense, the Thunder could most likely wind up starting Wallace, who led the league in steals before earning All-Defensive Second Team honors, or Mitchell, if he doesn't reprise his sixth-man role. Cason's defense is what separates him from the pack. He's also a 37.4% career 3-point shooter. Still, McCain has continued to strengthen his case.

“He's done a great job because he obviously has limitations because of his size, and that's fine in the NBA. It's a team game,” Daigneault said. “You don't need people to be on an island. We all help each other. But you got to execute, you got to play with a motor, you gotta be competitive, and he's got all that stuff, and a great base of strength.

“So, he's got the motor, he's got the competitiveness, he's got the team stuff, he executes, and I think training camp is helping him because he's getting the rollout of our fundamentals in a way that the rest of the team has gotten. Last year, we, obviously, did a crash course with him on that. But I think he'll be more confident in what he's doing on that end of the floor. Now that he's had a camp with us, and he really knows what we're trying to get done,” Daigneault concluded.

How Daigneault proceeds with his new rotations will certainly be magnified during the preseason. With Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins out of the fold, the increased roles for McCain, Wallace, Mitchell, and Alex Caruso will give us a glimpse of what's to come in 2026-27 as the Thunder's backcourt rotation alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.