Earlier this week, NBA Australia's Angus Crawford caught up with Sixers draftee Jordan McRae (58th overall, 2014), who's currently playing professionally abroad for Melbourne United. Here's what the Tennessee alum had to say about playing with the Sixers during summer league, adapting to life in Australia, and fitting in with his new teammates.

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NBA Australia: When did you arrive in Melbourne, and how have you found the adjustment to living in Australia?

Jordan McRae: I got in to Melbourne around the 9th of September, and it hasn’t been a hard adjustment for me. Being able to play basketball helps everything out.

NBAA: Is there anything about Australia that surprised you, or that you didn’t realise until you got here?

JM: I just didn’t realise that it was so Americanised here. There are a lot of the same things to what I would do if I were home.

NBAA: You’re obviously part of one of the more loaded rosters in the competition, how do you think you can best manage the balance between developing your own game, versus gelling with your teammates, to push for success?

JM: I mean I don’t think it’ll be hard because, like you said, we have a good team, we have an older team, so I’m just looking forward to playing my game, and playing to win.

NBAA: Have you been taken under anyone’s wing so far? Who have you bonded with on the [Melbourne United] roster?

JM: I talk to ‘Wortho’ [Mark Worthington] a lot. Just because Wortho’s been through a lot, he’s played in the Olympics—he’s played a lot of ball over the years—and having him out there helps me a lot.

NBAA: From your short time in practice and through the preseason, are there any aspects of [Melbourne United Coach] Chris Anstey’s preferred style of play that you think will translate especially well when you make the leap to the NBA?

JM: We’re a team that wants to try to get out and run when we can, and when we can’t run, we’re gonna try to execute our things in the halfcourt. So I mean that’s pretty much the NBA—when you get a chance to run, run, and when you don’t, know what you’re doing in the halfcourt.

NBAA: How have you read the differences or similarities between the flow of NBL games and practices compared to what you’re accustomed to? Have you found it to be physical?

JM: Nah, I mean you can play physical, but the refs call everything (in terms of touching anybody) here. So that’s just why it’s different. They say you can play physical if you want, but at the same time… you can’t!

NBAA: How special was it to hear your name called at #58 in the draft? Did you have any indication or hunch as to where you might land?

JM: Oh no, I didn’t know where I was gonna land and (just like anybody else) I was hoping that I was gonna hear my name called. That’s just something that every basketball player dreams of. To actually get drafted, it meant a lot to me. I had a lot of family around, and hearing my name called, everybody was feeling happy. It was definitely a moment [that] I won’t forget.

NBAA: How did you find your Summer League experience, and what was it like to get the opportunity to work closely with the Sixers’ staff in Vegas?

JM: It was fun. Just to get the opportunity to work with [the Sixers], to get out there, to see what the NBA game is like, and to get a feel for it. It was fun; I think it’ll help me out down the road.

NBAA: You played pretty well, too, so that helps a bit.

JM: [Laughs.] Oh yeah, that definitely helps.

NBAA: Has [Sixers Coach] Brett Brown been able to shed any light on his time in Australia, and what to expect?

JM: I talked to him during Summer League and practice, and that was about the only time I’ve talked to him. And when we talked, we were just talking about the game before, and the next game. So I haven’t been in touch with any of [the Sixers’ coaches] ever since I got [to Australia].

NBAA: I know you might have been frustrated not to be making the jump [straight to the NBA] this season, but what do you want to take out of your time overseas? How did you find out that Australia was a possible option in the short term?

JM: I knew Australia was an option the whole time from talking to my agent, and talking to Philly; I knew that there was a chance that I wasn’t going to go [straight to the NBA]. From talking about Europe, and Russia, and working out what was the best fit for me, knowing that Coach Brown has a good relationship here.

JM: Also knowing that this season is only six months, and you play one game a week, so it’s just getting a lot of opportunities to lift weights, and really focus on my body during the week—rather than having three or four games—it was good for me. Plus, it’s about to be hot here, too!

NBAA: It’s only going to get hotter, don’t worry.

JM: Yeah. [Laughs.]

NBAA: You quickly developed a reputation as an explosive athlete and scorer at Tennessee, do you consider yourself a believer in the ‘Hot Hand’ theory—like, the idea that you can ‘heat up’ after making consecutive shots? Is that something you’re conscious of in-game?

JM: I mean I think we have a team where if any guy is going, we’re gonna try to call a play for him. It’s not so much if you hit two shots in a row, you just come down and shoot the ball the first time you touch it. It’s about getting good shots, and if you’re hot, our team being older, they know a play to get you the ball.

NBAA: Finally, do you have League Pass (or NBA TV) setup for the new season? Are you prepped and ready to be watching games at 10 or 11 o’clock in the morning?

JM: No, I’m not gonna do that. If a game’s on, I’ll watch it, but I’m not one to try to stay up in the morning and watch games. I used to do that. But I’m here, I’ll watch some games for enjoyment, but the whole purpose of me being here is to try to help [Melbourne United] win games.

NBAA: Thanks for your time; hopefully we might speak again later on in the season.

JM: Thank you!

For more, check out NBA Austrailia.