The “Knecht” mania from last week morphed into a more sober stretch with the Lakers’ little skid and his recent 42.9% shooting. Lakers coach J.J. Redick was asked about his defense, and TheRinger.com ran a lengthy piece questioning his ceiling as a 23-year-old newbie and justifying his slide to No. 17 in the Draft. Welcome to the NBA, rook.

In a season full of dysfunction for the Philadelphia 76ers, one consolation has been the stellar play of rookie guard Jared McCain. Just 13 games into the season, and the Sixers' rookie sensation has grabbed national attention with his play this year.

The NBA has begun to game plan for Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain. After the young guard caught the attention of the league when he scored 20-plus points in seven straight games, McCain has been held to 9-for-34 shooting combined over the previous two games.

McCain’s big jump in the Ladder came from big contributions. His production over the past week — 27.7 ppg, 50.8 FG%, 19.7 shots nightly, 10.7 of them from the arc — is right in line with Maxey’s work in his seven games before his injury. Additionally, his 27.3% usage rate ranks higher than Devin Booker’s and LeBron James’.

Jared McCain sees his struggles as a good thing. The 76ers rookie loves thriving, but he gets excited after having bad games. That’s because McCain is determined to learn from them and watch game film.

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain is coming off his first tough contest of his rookie season. With the Los Angeles Clippers focusing so much on him during the game, McCain was held to 3-for-15 shooting and 2-for-11 from deep.