Does Undrafted T.J. McConnell Really Have a Future with Philadelphia 76ers?
By Jonathan Wasserman, NBA Lead Writer
Matt Slocum/Associated Press
T.J. McConnell waited until the very last minute for an invite to May's NBA Draft Combine. Now he's the Philadelphia 76ers' starting point guard.
More shocking, McConnell is already approaching triple-double figures four games into his pro career. He followed a 12-assist, 23-minute effort in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with seven points, 12 dimes and nine rebounds Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
76ers rookie PG T.J. McConnell is the 1st player in NBA history with at least 12 assists in 2 of his first 4 career games (@EliasSports).
Considered a winner in the NCAAs—McConnell helped change the identity of Arizona's team after transferring from Duquesne—you didn't find his name on too many mocks or top-50 big boards.
Deprived of coveted athleticism, size, length or flashy scoring ability, McConnell may actually be just what the doctor ordered for the Sixers.
Setting the Table, Ball Security
McConnell finished second in Division I last year in pure point rating (6.83, per DraftExpress), which measures assists (6.3) to turnovers (2.1) relative to each other. He's a fantastic decision-maker, something the Sixers didn't have in Michael Carter-Williams and don't currently have in Isaiah Canaan or Tony Wroten Jr.
| Minutes | Assists | Turnovers | Player Efficiency Rating | FG Pct. | |
| McConnell | 112 | 32 | 7 | 17.17 | .529 |
| Canaan | 115 | 6 | 8 | 6.73 | .257 |
ESPN
McConnell rates high in PPR as a pro too. Through four games, McConnell's 12.61 pure point rating ranks second (minimum three games) only to Minnesota Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio.
His offense is predicated on setting the table for teammates. Last year, 76.5 percent of his assists came in the half court, per Hoop-Math.com, meaning he excels at picking apart defenses when the game slows down.
Patient with excellent peripheral vision, McConnell dribbles with purpose to probe, manipulate, misdirect and ultimately free up shooters and finishers. He won't break down defenders or burn opponents off drive-and-kicks, but he picks his spots as a pick-and-roll facilitator and distributor within the team system or offense.
For young bigs like Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, McConnell's approach would seem welcomed.
However, he comes packaged with some shortcomings. Don't bank on McConnell doing much scoring now or later. He'll scoop up buckets opportunistically off runners and timely drives, but rarely does he look for his own shot unless it's given to him. McConnell has just 17 field-goal attempts in 112 minutes so far.
Becoming an accurate open shooter should be a realistic goal. He shot much better for two years in the Atlantic 10 (41.6 percent) than he did his final two seasons in the Pac-12 (34.3 percent).
Despite little elevation or height on his release, he's proved capable of knocking down jumpers out to the arc. But to really compensate for a lack of blow-by burst and above-the-rim hops, developing into a reliable threat on the perimeter would be huge for McConnell's long-term value.
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