T.J. McConnell was one of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ best stories this season. That doesn’t mean he’s their starter moving forward.
Coming into the season, I — as well as many others — was sold on Sergio Rodriguez as the team’s starting point guard. Despite not playing in the NBA since 2010, all signs pointed towards mass improvements from the veteran Spaniard. He was among the best point guards in Euroleague basketball at the time, while he also doubled down on that notion with a strong showing for the Spanish National Team in the Rio Olympics. As Ben Simmons nursed his foot injury, El Chacho’s savvy approach and high I.Q. playmaking was something that appealed to many at the head of Philadelphia 76ers‘ offensive attack.
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T.J. McConnell inevitably changed that narrative entirely.
After going down with an ankle injury in late December, Rodriguez was forced to give way to McConnell in the starting rotation — a change that sparked a near-unprecedented run of success for a team that had been in the league’s cellar since 2013.
The Sixers threw together their best Process-era month yet during January, giving Brett Brown his first winning month as head coach while T.J. McConnell balled out in unforeseen fashion. The former undrafted free agent played 31.9 minutes per game in 2017’s inaugural month, averaging 9.3 assists per contest while spearheading a defensive unit that became one of the best in the league during that span.
And, while Joel Embiid can be credited for the majority of their success during that period, McConnell played a surprisingly integral role. His heady playmaking led to ball movement that we hadn’t yet seen during Brett Brown’s tenure as head coach. The team was executing his play book at a reasonably high level, and a large part of that was due to McConnell’s ability to probe the defense and make plays in a variety of different sets.
There was, and still is, nothing complicated about McConnell’s approach. He’s a limited scorer, not possessing the athleticism needed to excel in isolation nor the jump shot needed to space the floor. He makes his impact almost solely as a passer, making the right plays with the basketball and facilitating the offensive flow. He was the catalyst that Brett Brown’s system had always lacked, and was able to operate in a manner than eventually proved to be far more reliable than Rodriguez’s random 3-pointers and increasing sloppiness.
McConnell excelled by virtue of energy. He played with a grit-and-grind mentality that led me to steal that slogan from Memphis for the sole purpose of writing this article, while his ability to avoid mistakes is quite literally what has made him so successful this past season. He was the anti-star. He made all the little plays, hardly venturing outside of his comfort zone or doing something overtly unnecessary — and that’s why he produced at such a high level.
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That same approach, however, doesn’t guarantee extended success in the NBA. Not as a starter.
With the ever-shifted dynamics of today’s pace-and-space league, it’s difficult to imagine McConnell holding his own as the go-to facilitator for a consistently competitive roster. His athletic limitations, regardless of energy, limit the expansiveness of his defensive prowess, while his lack of a scoring threat on the offensive end makes him far too one-dimensional.
If teams are able to go under screens and virtually ignore him when he’s operating outside of the painted area, that gives opposing defenses the freedom to adjust to more pressing threats on the offensive end. They can hide their worst defenders on McConnell, while helping off of him sans concern when more skilled players get the ball on the interior.
Even if McConnell does improve his jumper this offseason — something he seems fully committed to doing — that doesn’t diminish the fact that his ceiling is capped offensively.
As the team transitions to the Ben Simmons era, McConnell’s role will be best when relegated to a reserve spot. He still has the potential to provide the type of energy and steadfast playmaking that can benefit a competitive roster off the bench, but his limitations are too much to continue rolling with him in the starting unit.
Whether it be through the draft or free agency, the Sixers need a more dynamic perimeter threat to maximize their offensive potential alongside Simmons. A quality floor spacer would give their core more room to operate, while a player like Dennis Smith Jr. or Malik Monk would afford Philadelphia a potential go-to threat on the perimeter — something that could balance out their already-established interior presence in Embiid.
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In a modernized NBA that requires consistent versatility and multifaceted offensive attacks, McConnell’s output is far too limited for a starting point guard, especially if he’s forced off the ball more by Simmons. Brett Brown needs somebody who can slash defenses from a variety of different angles, and McConnell simply doesn’t fit that archetype.
It was an entertaining run, and McConnell has, by all means, earned himself a spot in the Sixers’ rotation long term. He just can’t start — it’s too much of a liability.