The Philadelphia 76ers have a loaded backcourt right now, and will likely have to make some cuts after training camp. T.J. McConnell should not be cut.
If any player has had a harder path than T.J. McConnell to the NBA, I’d like to see it. McConnell, an underdog for sure, entered his rookie year as an undrafted player who had a lot to prove to any NBA teams looking for a point guard.
Just a few years ago people were doubting that he’d be able to succeed in his transfer to Arizona, and he did. Just last offseason people said he wouldn’t be able to make an NBA team. Even when he was brought onto the Sixers training camp and preseason roster, people didn’t believe he would be around.
And finally, once he proved them wrong there, people didn’t think he would make it to January 10th, the day where his contract became guaranteed for the whole year. But he did that, too.
Now, as we exit summer league and enter the training camp period, the McConnell doubters are back. “He can’t shoot, or do anything other than pass,” is their main knock on McConnell. Based on what I’ve seen from McConnell and his ability to channel doubts and turn it into production, I believe he will make this team.
I also believe there’s reason to bring him onto this team. In fact, I believe there’s a lot of reasons to bring him onto this team, and it goes far beyond his passing ability.
Next: Always looking to get better
Never content
One of the reasons that T.J. was able to stick around last season was because he was never content with where he was at in his game. He could have looked at an accomplished summer league, or training camp, or preseason, and at this point, even last year’s regulars season and say, “well, I’m happy with where I’m at.”
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Even if McConnell did say he was happy and stopped improving, he would have improved vastly compared to where he came into the league at, and it would have been an accomplishment. But he never got content.
Coming into summer league this year, he was on the roster, but also was very vocal about being happy to be there and guiding some of the players who were going through summer league for the first time. He also seemed eager to work on his game as early as possible and get himself in front of the coaches as quickly as he could.
Jumping back to before he was drafted, McConnell was actually the very last player invited to the NBA combine. One could argue, though, after his freshman NBA season, he deserved to be invited to the combine right away. That’s all because McConnell never got content, and likely never will be content. He’s an underdog, but he never stops fighting.
Speaking to Bob Cooney of Philly.com, McConnell talked about his mindset and on not being complacent.
"Nothing’s guaranteed. My thing is that if I’m ever going to get complacent, that’s when things won’t work out well for me. I’ve just never been complacent in any role that I’ve had. I have the confidence that I can play in the NBA, but I’m not going to rest on my laurels just because I think that. I want to have the same mindset that I’m going to play and practice every day like this is my last day on the job. I don’t think that will ever change for me"
Unfortunately for McConnell, who signed a four-year deal in his rookie season, that was all non-guaranteed, there is a ton to prove. Every year he will have to show he’s worthy of receiving that deal, but luckily for McConnell, that’s when he does his best work.
When his mind is in this state of non-complacency, he keeps adding things to his game and doing things better.
Billy Lange, who was the head coach of the Sixers’ Utah Summer League team, had this to say about McConnell:
"He’s never satisfied. You take him out of a summer league scrimmage and put a new player in, he’s like, ‘No. I want to stay in that game.’ That’s just who he is and how he ticks"
McConnell also bets on himself and has clear-cut goals. He could have been drafted, according to his agent (speaking to AZCentral) if he was willing to get stashed overseas. Instead, he decided he would take the challenge of making an NBA squad.
"Emens said all 15 teams McConnell worked out for invited him to play summer ball and that McConnell might have been drafted had he agreed to be a “draft-and-stash” second-rounder who would be sent directly to the D-League with no chance of making the NBA club."
Coaches love him and his work ethic, and for that reason, he’s a great locker room addition, as well.
Next: Complimenting his teammates
Compliments teammates
One of the biggest things McConnell does on the floor is make his teammates better. We saw him set Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel up nicely on tons of possessions last season. We saw him kick up the offense and look for passes rather than his own shots.
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But even off of the floor, McConnell does a lot of complimenting. Even when he has big games, he’s often crediting that to his teammates.
In a piece that Ray Boyd did on McConnell for CBS Philadelphia, he wrote this about T.J.:
"“With a teammate like Nerlens, I mean it’s hard not to get comfortable,” McConnell told reporters following the game on Monday night. He explained how Noel has constantly been in his ear about how to improve and communicates frequently with him."
That is what McConnell had to say following his huge 12-assist game for the Sixers (he followed that game up with another 12-assist performance). McConnell could have easily bragged about how he was finding the right people at the right time, but instead credited his success to his teammates.
Again, speaking to Bob Cooney about Ben Simmons, McConnell said:
"What he can do with a ball at his size, his speed, I’ve never seen anything like it and have never played with anyone like that… It’s a joy to watch and a joy to play with. His athleticism and the way that he can handle the ball at 6-10, it’s incredible. So, for me, when I’m off the ball I think I have to get better moving around. Everyone is so focused on him that I’ll be able to cut and slash and then people will have to help and that’s when others get better shots"
Even though Simmons arguably threatens T.J.’s role on the team as a pass-first type of player, McConnell recognized how good Simmons was and spoke highly of his teammates. He’s the type of good-guy you want in your locker room, the player that’s always going to find the good in another player and accentuate it.
Next: Wants to be a coach on the floor
On-floor coach
Point guards are supposed to be floor generals, calling plays and initiating the offense. That’s exactly what McConnell sets out to be in his game.
During summer league this year, McConnell said it was his duty to alleviate the coaches of some stress and run the floor for them on some plays.
"Coach [Brett] Brown shouldn’t have to talk every game and Coach [Billy] Lange and Coach [Lloyd] Pierce shouldn’t have to be coaching every play… That’s what the point guards are for."
We see McConnell do a great job of that. Through summer league and last year’s regular season, it was clear that McConnell typically knew what was going on, and knew what play needed to be call, often without ever having to even look over at head coach Brett Brown.
McConnell often initiated the offense, and would have had an average assist number much higher than 4.5 if the Sixers weren’t the second-worst shooting team in the NBA last year.
One could argue that Simmons can initiate the offense just as well, but I think he lacks this coach factor that McConnell exudes. Simmons is a great passer and gets the offense going, don’t get me wrong, but throughout summer league it looked as if it was more freestyle rather than set plays. Perhaps that’s just because summer league has less of a solid playbook than the regular season, but I still freestyle ball is Simmons’ game. I believe that having a coach and floor general that calls plays like McConnell is valuable.
Part of that wanting to be a coach on the floor may come from being a coaches’ kid. He played for his father in high school, and likely worked closely with him and heard his cries for wanting T.J. to be a point guard that could run things on his own, helping his coach focus on the little things that make teams solid competitors.
Run things for his dad, he did, as he averaged 34.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game in his senior season.
Next: Rarely injured
Doesn’t miss time
T.J. McConnell played the most games out of any Sixers player last year. The Sixers had huge injury issues throughout last season, often having to sit two to three guys a night. But McConnell was almost never one of those players, playing in 81 out of 82 games.
Not only does this show that McConnell rarely gets injured, but it shows that head coach Brett Brown trusted him enough to play him in every game, where other players were often sat out. With McConnell, you knew what you were getting every night. He was very consistent.
McConnell’s non-injury season isn’t just because he has a tough body. When watching McConnell, he isn’t afraid to go up against other players and risk an injury, but he does also appear aware and careful of how he may be putting his body at risk. Good balance on T.J.’s part also allows him to land upright most of the time; it was rare for us to see McConnell on the ground last year.
Next season, when Simmons, Saric, and Embiid are all rookies, they will not be playing anywhere near 80 games. Each of them will probably play an average of 60 with injuries, Embiid not playing back-to-backs, and general rest nights.
McConnell will still be good for 80, barring any major injury.
Next: Fits in second unit behind Simmons
Backup to Simmons
T.J.’s biggest opponent may be Ben Simmons going into training camp. The insanely good blend of physique and basketball skills allow him to be a master passer in the NBA, and he’s shown that off at a high level in summer league already. That’s what McConnell does best, move the ball, so having a player that can do that as well as score is a threat to McConnell.
Of course, the Sixers need to put together a second-unit, however, and McConnell may be the perfect ball-moving substitute for Simmons in that second unit.
Although one could argue Dario Saric is fit to play the three spot, he will likely end up playing as a power forward in the second unit. Here’s a look at the possible five players that would take the floor in place of the starting lineup. This is an early projection, but at this point, it seems accurate.
- T.J. McConnell
- Gerald Henderson
- Robert Covington
- Dario Saric
- Jahlil Okafor
Some adjustments may need to be made to this due to the liabilities this roster has on defense. McConnell is one of the only lock-down defenders on this five-man group, and Covington is okay, but there are huge threats in the frontcourt with Saric and Okafor.
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From an offensive standpoint, however, this group would kill it.
The main point here is that McConnell offers the Sixers the ability to have a ball-moving player even when Simmons is off of the floor, and that makes him valuable even with Simmons on this squad.