So far, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers are getting what they hoped for in their first-round rookies, as both players have proven to be reliable three-point shooters so far in their young careers.

Jared McCain, the 16th overall pick out of Duke, has been inserted into the Sixers’ rotation in the absence of the one-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey.

Since seeing his playing time increase, McCain has been thriving on both ends of the floor. However, his long-range shooting has been all of the talk lately, as he’s turned up the volume with his attempts.

Through his first seven games of the 2024-2025 NBA season, McCain had attempted just 12 threes. Half of those attempts came in one outing against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Since then, McCain has averaged ten shots from beyond the arc per game. During that stretch, McCain knocked down threes at a 44 percent clip.

In two of the last three games, McCain made five-plus threes. He became one of two rookies to have multiple five-plus threes made in a game this year. The other player is the LA Lakers’ 17th overall pick, Dalton Knecht.

Unlike McCain, Knecht has had a steady for the Lakers from the jump. Through the first 13 games, the 23-year-old out of Tennessee has averaged 20 minutes of playing time. When he hit on five of his ten threes against the New Orleans Pelicans on November 16, Knecht achieved his second game with five-plus threes on the year. He collected his third on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz.

McCain and Knecht hold five of eight such performances from rookies this season. The others on the list with just one game of five-plus threes are Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells, Washington Wizards’ Kyshawn George, and the Atlanta Hawks’ No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

Overall, McCain has averaged 15 points on 40 percent shooting from deep throughout 13 games this season. Recently, he earned his first three starts, and could potentially stick around in the Sixers’ starting five as long as Tyrese Maxey continues recovering from a hamstring strain.

As for Knecht, he has averaged nine points per game while knocking down 40 percent of his threes in 13 games. The Lakers rookie now has four starts under his belt so far.