OKC’s rising star set the tone for the season on Tuesday night. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their season on Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. However, this time, the Thunder left victorious, defeating the Spurs 116-104. 

It was an impressive performance from Oklahoma City, as they had control of the game from beginning to end. The stars were out for OKC, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 32 points and hit every big shot the team needed him to. However, he wasn’t the only Thunder player who had a big game, as Jared McCain came to play. 

McCain was a big part of the Thunder’s postseason run last year and picked up right where he left off. The rising star was the team’s second-leading scorer, as he put up 20 points in just 22 minutes. 

McCain was set to come into this year as the team’s three-point specialist, as Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe left this offseason, and the young guard did just that, hitting six shots from beyond the arc while shooting 75% from deep. While no one player is the sole reason for winning the game, McCain was one of the biggest, as he had the best net rating of the night at +20.

The Thunder guard was one of the main reasons that OKC’s three-point shooting was better than usual last night, as the team shot 41% from the floor. McCain also did more than just shoot the ball, as he racked up two rebounds and two assists when the night was all said and done. 

Oklahoma City will be hoping that McCain can continue this type of play in the future, especially with the smaller core rotation this year for OKC. McCain could see his role continue to expand as the season goes on if he continues this type of play, and he could be the driving force of the Thunder’s three-point attack for the rest of the season. 

Of course, it’s unlikely McCain will be this on fire from the field for the entire season, but if he continues to get better as the season goes on, he could end up being one of the best shooters from deep in the entire league. 

McCain showing up on Tuesday night was one of the biggest reasons the Thunder were able to get revenge on San Antonio, and if he continues to play like this, he could help lead them all the way this year.