McRae had played four years at the University of Tennessee and averaged 18.7 points as a senior.
He did not play on the Sixers' Orlando summer league team. He did lead the Sixers' Las Vegas summer league squad in scoring with 21.0 points per game, playing in four games.
The 6-foot-6 scoring guard was a welcome addition to a team looking to build on a 19-win season.
But McRae never joined the Sixers. Prior to training camp, he signed a contract to play professionally in Australia.
Four and a half months later, McRae is the leading scorer of the NBL, averaging 21.8 points per games playing for Melbourne United, a team near and dear to Brett Brown.
"[McRae] plays in a city that I lived in for 12 years and for the team I started my coaching career," Brown said. "I know his situation intimately."
Brown spent 14 years coaching in Australia. His familiarity with the league is a bonus. The NBL is not the NBA, nor does the league offer the competition found in Europe, but the Aussies are tough.
Melbourne United plays its last regular season game on Feb. 22 but is bound for the playoffs. The Sixers have a roster spot available and could add McRae if they so choose when his NBL season ends.
"We are always paying attention to Jordan," Brown said. "He is in a good situation. He is playing a lot of minutes. He continues to score. He is always in the back of our minds. What that means with what we intend to do with him now, that doesn't change too much. We are aware of his success. We are aware of the successes of all our guys overseas."
