Jared McCain is having a spectacular season with the Philadelphia 76ers so far, and it cannot be denied that he’s leading the charge for the Rookie of the Year award as well. However, it does seem that the odds will be changing for quite some time as the Sixers guard is expected to be out of the game indefinitely for recovery.

Initially, McCain was reported to have a sore left knee after their 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers. However, a late MRI report has shown that the explosive guard has a lateral meniscus tear in that said knee, requiring surgery to prevent further complication. This is a good move to save his young career, but it also means that he will be out for a long stretch of time.

At this point, bigger names are expected to take over the top spot in the odds as games played have played a huge role in their chances of winning. The likes of Dalton Knecht, Stephon Castle, Jaylen Wells, and Zaccharie Risacher are all expected to spice up the race now more than ever.

A Promising Season Halted by Injuries

This season, Jared McCain has been a promising player among many rookies for being a standout performer in a team filled with three All-Stars. Selected with the 16th overall pick, McCain has been phenomenal with the way he has upped his production, averaging 15.3 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds.

Philadelphia was hyped to be a contender this season after bringing in Paul George from the free agency market. The new big three was expected to be a new power in the Eastern Conference, but instead, the trio has played only three games together, and this has led the Sixers to plummet in the standings so far.

Still, McCain has been the highlight of the campaign so far, and he’s going out with an injury – meaning that the Sixers will have one of their best guns out once more. McCain has scored a career-high 34 points in a game against the Cavaliers back in December, and he’s dropped 20 or more points in eight games this season so far.

With Tyrese Maxey out, McCain has been making the most of his minutes, and this does seem to be quite a bummer with the way his injury has come in the way of his chances of winning the ROTY.

Who Will Take Over the ROTY Race?

As McCain goes out and will indefinitely miss games, San Antonio Spurs’ Stephon Castle now emerges as the main favorite to look out for – with winning odds of +125. Yves Missi comes in second in the race with odds of +225 for the New Orleans Pelicans. This does seem to be quite a different race than it looked to begin the season.

Former lead contenders such as Dalton Knecht (+350), Zaccharie Risacher (+1000), Alexandre Sarr (+2000), Zach Edey (+1400), and Jaylen Wells (+2000) are still in the mix, but it does seem that it will be down to the current top three with the way they are playing right now.

So far, Knecht and Wells are expected to make a strong case for the ROTY – considering that they are playing for two playoff teams in the Western Conference, where there are a total of 12 teams with a record above .500 so far.