6. T.J. McConnell
McConnell went undrafted in 2015 after five years in the NCAA, but he quickly caught on with the 76ers. The 6’1 guard was a steady reserve. He spent four years in Philly where he averaged 6.4 points, 4.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 22.0 minutes per game. McConnell departed in free agency after the 2018-2019 season and has continued improving in Indiana.
Early this season, McConnell was out of the Pacers rotation, but he fought back in and had arguably the best year of his career. The 32-year-old set a new career-high by averaging 10.2 points per game to go with his strong playmaking and opportunistic defense. He played a key role in their run to the conference finals and drew interest from several franchises when made available.
McConnell is entering the final year of his contract. It will be interesting to see if the Pacers extend him or let him test free agency in the summer of 2025.
T.J. McConnell signed a two-year $7 million contract with the Pacers in free agency in 2019. It would not have taken a ton for the 76ers to keep him, but they decided to move on. Philadelphia has cycled through several point guards since McConnell’s departure. He is best coming off the bench, but having a steady backup is a luxury that the 76ers took for granted.