Jared McCain Faces Backlash from Dallas Mavericks Fans Over Controversial “Start, Bench, Cut” Choice
Jared McCain, a rising star on TikTok and a Philadelphia 76ers rookie, recently found himself at the center of a controversy with Dallas Mavericks fans. During an interview, McCain was asked the challenging “start, bench, cut” question, requiring him to choose between three elite NBA superstars: Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 6-foot-3 guard’s response sparked outrage among Mavericks supporters.
“I’m gonna start SGA,” McCain declared. “Dang…and put Ant on the bench. That’s crazy, cutting Luka. I’m sorry if you even have TikTok or whatever.”
Despite his apology for having to cut last season’s scoring leader, it wasn’t enough to placate the Dallas faithful, who expressed their displeasure on social media platform X.
The Mavericks fans’ frustration isn’t without merit. During last season’s playoffs, Doncic and the Mavericks outperformed both Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards.
After advancing past the opening round, Dallas faced the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Although the Thunder took Game 1, the Mavericks managed to win Game 3 at home and evened the series on the road. Ultimately, Dallas won Games 5 and 6, progressing to the Western Conference Finals.
In the six games against Oklahoma City, Doncic averaged nearly a triple-double with 24.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. While his scoring wasn’t as high as expected, his performance peaked against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the subsequent series.
Dallas quickly established dominance, taking a 3-0 lead in the series. Doncic was unstoppable, scoring no less than 30 points in Games 1 to 3, including a memorable game-winning step-back three-pointer over Rudy Gobert in Game 2. Despite the Timberwolves forcing a Game 5, Doncic’s 36-point performance clinched the series for the Mavericks, averaging 32.4 points per game and earning his first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
Although the Mavericks fell short of a championship, their future looks promising. The highlight of their offseason has been the acquisition of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson. With additional firepower around Doncic, Mavericks fans have much to look forward to, even in the wake of their Finals defeat.