In a year of gigantic expectations, all of them unfulfilled so far, with frustrating signings, aspirations of a ring or at least a final gone up in smoke and stars in question, the Philadelphia 76ers had an oasis in their rookie Jared McCain.

Selected with the 16th pick in the last Draft, the former Duke player was the best news in the city of brotherly love far above the likes of Joel Embiid, Paul George or Tyrese Maxey. But suddenly, the only light at the end of the Sixers’ tunnel has gone out.

The team has announced that McCain will have to undergo surgery to repair the left lateral meniscus and will be out indefinitely, which could be for the rest of the season. This is a terrible blow for the team, which is not in a good mood, and for the player, who had been fully involved in the fight to be the best rookie of the season.

With averages of 15.3 points, leader among the rookies, with 46% shooting accuracy, which is 38.3% in three-pointers, McCain had been chosen as the best rookie of the month of November in the East. And he was one of the three players on the roster who had played in all (23) of the Sixers games along with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele.

In fact, the ‘big three’, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, have only played together in three games and have only finished one, the victory against Chicago, with all three on the court. Embiid, who has played only six games this season, will miss more because against Indiana, in the game in which McCain was injured, he suffered a fracture in his cheekbone.

The Sixers, who started very badly, seemed to have picked up some momentum and were 7-16 in 12th place in the East. The loss of McCain is another setback in a season in which they are collecting nothing but misery.