Has T.J. McConnell Improved This Season?

T.J. McConnell has taken the league by storm since taking over the starting point guard position but has he improved his game at all this season?

One of the dominant storylines for the Philadelphia 76ers throughout the 2016/17 season has been the emergence of T.J. McConnell. The former undrafted free agent has been declared a “legitimate” NBA player by fans and NBA media after he took over the starting point guard role halfway through the season. The storyline has been furthered by some incredible late game heroics which prompted Joel Embiid to compare him to Michael Jordan for his clutch-like actions.

But, has T.J. really improved from last season?

It’s a tricky question to answer. The strengths in T.J.’s floor general pass-first style of play have seen improvement. This season, T.J. has posted a stronger assist percentage, in which he ranks second in the league, that has gone from 37.1 percent to 43.3 percent.

His turnover percentage has also decreased from 14.2 percent to 12.7 percent, although he still ranks near the bottom in qualified point guards for that statistic. His strong assist percentage outweighs his poor turnover ratio as T.J. sports one of the better assist-to-turnover ratios for all guards. His assists per 100 possessions have gone up from 11.2 to 12.1.

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Outlined in a column posted by fellow Sixer Sense contributor Mike O’Connor, key players like Joel Embiid, Robert Covington and Dario Saric all have a higher offensive rating when they share the court with McConnell. His high IQ and willingness to pass have paid dividends for some of the more capable scoring threats on the team.

On the defensive end, TJ has reduced his opponents field goal percentage this season from 47.8 percent to 45.2 percent.

In watching his play, you can see further improvement on the defensive end. Although not the strongest at contesting shots, he is a pest of a defender that can bother smaller guards from end to end.

Perhaps T.J.’s largest improvement is the continual development of chemistry with his teammates, most noticeably with Embiid and Saric. It’s ultimately not quantifiable, but to say that it has no impact would be foolish.

T.J. has been able to improve on the skills which were already perceived as strengths going into this season. But the problem there is that he hasn’t shown much improvement to other facets of his game.

In his increased role this season McConnell has seen a drop in player efficiency rating from 14.52 to 13.4, TS% from .511 to .502, and RPM from -1.5 to -1.92.

His drop in true shooting is mostly linked to his decrease in both 3-pointers attempted and 3-pointers made. He has all but given up on shooting beyond the arc averaging only 1.2 attempts per 100 possessions, the second lowest total among qualified guards next to Shaun Livingston who has only attempted one 3-pointer all season.

McConnell has failed to show improvement as a pick-and-roll ball handler. His points per possession on pick-and-roll plays has decreased from an already low .81 last season to .76 this season.

Defenders show no insistence to fight over screens due to TJ’s paltry 3-point shooting which makes it difficult for him to be successful in pick-and-roll scenarios. Unless he improves on his outside shooting, T.J. must figure out creative ways to finish pick-and-rolls which may be difficult with his below average length and speed.

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Even with the lack of improvement in many important areas, T.J. has deserved a role with the 76ers going forward. Overzealous fans will assert that he has earned a starting position over the long term, but I’m more hesitant. That said, I am hopeful that T.J. will be able to continue to improve his game due to his perceived strong work ethic and desire to be great. But even without continued improvement, his style of play, pesky defense, hustle and chemistry with the team are very solid traits for a long-term backup point guard.