Philadelphia 76ers: T.J. McConnell’s Long-Term Potential
T.J. McConnell overcame a rough start to his season, but he has not proven that he can have long potential for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers have had plenty of positives in this season of growth. Joel Embiid and Dario Saric are developing into a nice frontcourt duo. The trade that brought in Ersan Ilyasova produced in a major way. Nerlens Noel has accepted the backup position and thrived in it. On top of that, the team had a great month in January.
That said, one thing people are slowly starting to realize now is that point guard T.J. McConnell is a quality starter. This good season will help mold and shape his long term potential with the Sixers. With questions about the point guard situation still open for the franchise, McConnell might be the answer that has been staring the Sixers in the face.
At first glance the comparisons from last season’s to this season’s stats are not eye opening, however, that does not mean the door is completely closed on his potential either.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/16/2017.
If anything, this shows slight regression in McConnell’s shooting game, but this can be explained.
In the beginning of the season I wrote an article about how McConnell had regressed from his rookie season. Yes this article is a 180 degree turn from that previous one, however, there was validity in that piece, in the sense that McConnell was still backing up Sergio Rodriguez at the time.
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According to ESPN player splits stats on T.J. McConnell, as a back up he averaged 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.5 assist, 1.3 steals and 1.6 turnovers per game. He shot 41 percent from the floor and 19 percent from the arc coming off the bench.
As a starter he has averaged 9.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 8.1 assist, 1.8 steals, and 2.1 turnovers per game. While starting he shot 49 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point land.
One other stat not mentioned is that as a starter he has made two game-winning shots. It is clear he is one of the most clutch players on the team.
Granted, the uptick in stats could be from playing 19 minutes off of the bench compared to 32 minutes as a starter. That is still a huge jump in stats, and it doesn’t explain the increased success in shooting percentage.
What does this mean to the Sixers?
First off, there is no need to trade for a point guard this season at the impeding trade deadline. He is doing a solid job, and unless they are in a win-now mode, there is no need to bring in another point guard.
With McConnell holding down the fort at the point, the Sixers do not need to draft a point guard.
McConnell’s growth as a starter shows that he still has plenty of room to grow. I am not saying he will be like Jimmy Butler, but some NBA players don’t develop right away, and he still has time to grow. At the age of 24 years old he still has plenty of time.
With that in mind, the Sixers could draft a shooting guard instead if they have one ranked higher on their draft boards. I also suspect McConnell will take another big leap in his game once Ben Simmons makes his debut. They played very well together and I believe that will play big once Simmons is healthy.
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T.J. McConnell is much better suited as a starter at this point and with the leaps he made as a starter, there is a shot he keeps that spot for years to come.