At the start of this Indiana Pacers season, T.J. McConnell was the odd man out in the rotation with the team’s crowded backcourt leaving no minutes for non-stop hustling, full-court pest of a point guard.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was nearly brought to tears when he had to tell McConnell that the minutes weren’t going to be there for him at the start of the season.
“I had one of the most difficult conversations that I ever had to have with a player,” Carlisle said of his conversation with McConnell at the time, “… I was almost in tears talking to him about it. One of the reasons was that he was just so great. It was just him. He said, ‘I’m disappointed. I’ll be ready. I’ll be professional—you know that—and do everything I can to set an example.’ This is one of the greatest competitors in the history of this franchise.”
He certainly was true to his word and stayed ready. Once he quickly got his opportunity after the opener, he’s only seemed to get better as the season has progressed. Now with three games remaining in the season, the 32-year-old veteran is averaging a career-high in points (10.0) in his lowest minutes per game in his career and he’s become a player the Pacers lean on to overcome slow starts with his infectious energy and relentless effort off the bench that has consistently changed the course of games.
Since the All-Star break, McConnell has simply been unguardable in his 10-12 minute bursts of playing time in each half, consistently buoying the Pacers bench lineups to big runs with his never-ending array of baseline twos, short-middy fadeaways, paint touches that lead to slot cuts, and layups that sneak up on and over taller defenders that always seem to be caught off guard.
In just under 20 minutes per game since the All-Star break, McConnell is averaging 13.4 points and 5.2 assists while making 57.5% of his field goals and 57.9% of his 3-pointers (11 for 19). Over those same 23 games, the Pacers are blitzing teams off the floor with McConnell in the game. The team’s net rating with McConnell on is 12.0 with an offensive rating of 125.8 and a defensive rating of 113.9. The Pacers have won McConnell’s minutes in 18 of those 23 games.
In the biggest non-In-Season-Tournament game of the regular season, McConnell was dominant against the Miami Heat for the second time this year. He made 7 of his first 8 shots and finished with 22 points and 5 assists to lead the Pacers in a crucial victory that gives them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Heat, a nice cushion into the final week to hopefully avoid the play-in and be firmly in the playoffs if they can take care of business.
With their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton struggling to find a consistent rhythm post hamstring injury, McConnell has been the steady reliable veteran the team has needed.
“I think T.J. is someone who is very consistent,” Myles Turner said. “He provides a consistent level of energy night in and night out, something we really rely on. I think he’s really found himself as a complete player. It’s the most confident I’ve ever seen him … I think he’s really flipped a switch and I’m really happy to see him at this stage of his career take on that level that’s always been there.”
The only regular member of the rotation that the Pacers have a higher net rating with that player on the floor than McConnell is fellow bench brigade star Obi Toppin at 13.2.
“Yeah, I’m a big Obi Toppin fan,” McConnell said after the win over the Heat. “He makes the game easier for point guards. His ability to get out and run the floor and cause mismatches in transition and we’re able to throw it over the top to him. And then when teams leave him open, he knocks it down at a high clip. To put it simply, he’s just a really good player and makes our life easier as point guards. Definitely glad he’s here.”
While McConnell is lavish with his praise of teammates and often talks about how the Pacers front office “doesn’t miss” when it comes to bringing in great people into the organization, he also clearly loves the playful ribbing that comes from a tight-knit locker room. He often reminds Turner, the Pacers all-time career blocks leader, that he’s never blocked McConnell in a game. Turner joked during his post-game presser after the win over Miami that part of why he’s so difficult for other teams to guard is that he thinks T.J. “takes it personal when he sees a white boy guarding him” and that the backup point guard “wants to be THE white boy.” McConnell could only laugh in response when he later came up to the podium.
Jalen Smith seems to especially enjoy the good-natured banter as he took over the start of McConnell’s recent post-game interview on the Bally broadcast.
“We just said give the ball to TJ,” Smith jumped in and said of how they overcame a double-digit deficit against the Nets early. “Over these past 10-20 games, TJ has moved from his passing role to more of a straight scorer … every time we just say ‘TJ, score the ball, man. Score the ball. Stop passing.’ Even when he’s supposed to pass, we say score the ball. You old and stuff. We don’t know how much longer you got. Score the ball, T.”
McConnell’s also well known for his trash talking and in a game against former teammate Bruce Brown with the Raptors you could hear it loud and clear on the broadcast after McConnell hit a mid-range pull-up with Brown going under the screen. Quinn Buckner couldn’t help but laugh.
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Good read, love watching T.J. play.
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Great article illuminating this special player who perfectly fits what his teamates, franchise and fans desire from the 2nd unit
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