Philadelphia 76ers: Midseason review – The highlights

Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images
Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images
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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Best bench performance

T.J. McConnell vs Toronto Raptors, Jan. 15: 18 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Despite starting just one game this season in the absence of Ben Simmons, T.J. McConnell has undoubtedly been one of the Sixers most consistent performers this season.

In 35 games, McConnell has averaged 7.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 24.8 minutes per game. Most notably, McConnell leads he Sixers with an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.46.

The game here in question was the fourth encounter for the season with the Raptors, with the Sixers having come up empty in their three previous attempts. Wirth starters Robert Covington and Dario Saric struggling from the field to shoot a combined 6-of-20, the Sixers needed a spark off the bench to step up in their hour of need.

Like many times this season, it was McConnell who stepped up and excelled in his 32 minutes on the floor. Impressively, it wasn’t just the offensive end of the floor that McConnell had the most impact. For the game, the Sixers were 13.2 points per 100 possessions better off defensively when McConnell was on the floor.

Not only did McConnell register three steals, he also racked up five deflections, an impressive feat for the 6’2″ product from Arizona.

With the lack of shooting depth on the roster, and the current injury to starting shooting guard J.J. Redick, it’s highly conceivable that McConnell could repeat such performances in the back half of the season.

Honourable mention: Richaun Holmes vs Toronto Raptors, Dec. 21: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists