The Philadelphia 76ers were arguably the most snakebitten team in the NBA. Things only got worse.

Rookie guard Jared McCain, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, suffered a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee on Friday and will require surgery, keeping him out of action indefinitely, the Sixers announced Saturday.

The exact time at which McCain tore his meniscus is unclear. At one point he had to leave the game against the Indiana Pacers, but that was due to a fall that caused the back of his head to bounce off the field.

Regardless, the loss of McCain may be the worst blow yet for the Sixers, who have struggled to get their core triumvirate of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George together on the court. The trio has only played three games together so far in the 2024-25 season, and Embiid is currently dealing with a sinus fracture that is scheduled to be checked out over the weekend. He played a total of six games all season.

The team has a record of 7-16 and McCain was a big reason that record didn’t get any worse. The 16th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft leads all rookies in points scored while shooting a strong 38.3% from 3-point range, setting numerous milestones along the way.

McCain started at point guard when Maxey was out, but has mostly come off the bench in recent games. However, he was still an important part of the rotation and it won’t be easy to replace him, even if the team has become accustomed to playing shorthanded.

As for Rookie of the Year, McCain was the clear favorite to win the award, reflecting both the productivity of this season’s rookie class and the strength of McCain’s play. Since McCain almost certainly didn’t play enough games to be in contention for the award, the field is now truly wide open.

Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs, Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers and Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans all stand out as possible candidates, but many more rookies could become top contenders with just one good month.