With Markelle Fultz on the mend due to injury, T.J. McConnell has stepped in to play a huge role in the Philadelphia 76ers’ recent success.
The Philadelphia 76ers had a major overhaul in their rotation this offseason. They signed J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson to free agency deals to increase their depth. Then, they traded their third overall pick to the Boston Celtics for the first overall pick and acquired Markelle Fultz in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Fultz was a prolific all-around talent in his lone season at the University of Washington before being drafted by the Sixers. He averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range. However, since joining Philadelphia, Fultz has largely struggled to adjust.
He’s averaged 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists while shooting 33.3 percent from the field through his first four games in the NBA. Fultz hasn’t attempted a 3-pointer in a game and looked out of sorts before his agent revealed he was dealing with a shoulder injury. Fultz was then shelved for the next three games, opening the door for a once-forgotten player to do his bidding.
With Fultz nursing an injury, head coach Brett Brown has had to do some shuffling. Luckily, he’s got the role players to make those adjustments. Third-year point guard T.J. McConnell hasn’t let the spotlight on budding stars deter him from performing at a high level.
McConnell has come a long way with the Philadelphia 76ers since joining the team back in 2015. He went undrafted out of the University of Arizona in the 2015 NBA Draft but still signed a multi-year deal with the team. He hadn’t played heavy minutes in Philadelphia’s first four contests of the 2017-18 season, but in the past two games, he’s played a large role.
Filling in the gaps
T.J. McConnell averaged 15.3 minutes per game in the Sixers’ first four games this season. He was averaging 3.3 points, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals despite not playing a lot of minutes. Then, when Fultz was benched with an injury, McConnell’s minutes went up, as did his production.
In their past two games, McConnell is averaging 10.5 points, 8.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in 29.8 minutes. He racked up a career-high six steals against the Houston Rockets in a 105-104 loss that came at the buzzer. He also had six points, nine assists and five rebounds.
In their second win of the season on Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks, McConnell put up 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting in 31 minutes of playing time.
Second-year forward Dario Saric started his first game of the season in place of sharpshooter J.J. Redick. Redick sat out against Dallas with a lower back injury, putting the scoring production for Saturday night in question but McConnell answered the bell.
McConnell finished the game with an offensive rating 118.3 and a defensive rating of 96.1 with a net rating of +22.2. Although the Philadelphia 76ers are 2-4, McConnell has favorable numbers in Sixers’ victories this season.
He has an offensive rating of 114.7 and a defensive rating of 97.0 with a net rating of +17.7 in two victories. In their four losses, he has an offensive rating of 86.0 with a defensive rating of 109.9 with a net rating of -24.0.
Picking up where left off
McConnell has largely picked up where he left off during the 2016-17 regular season. He started in 51 of the 81 games he appeared in for Philadelphia last year, averaging 6.9 points, 6.6 assists, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals in 26.3 minutes per game.
McConnell dished out a career-high 17 assists on Jan. 6, 2017 in a losing effort against the Celtics, 110-106. Then on Jan. 11, he won the game against the New York Knicks with a buzzer-beater. He had eight points, seven assists and six rebounds in that game.
This season, he’s averaging 5.7 points, 4.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 20.2 minutes per game. His minutes are down for now but he hasn’t let that deter him from making an impact when he’s on the floor.
Next: 2017-18 Week 2 NBA Power Rankings
Although the spotlight has been on Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, T.J. McConnell hasn’t let their addition lessen his importance on the roster. T.J. McConnell has quietly been the unsung hero for the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s come through in key moments for them already this season. The Sixers will need him as they await rookie Markelle Fultz’s return to 100 percent health.