T.J. McConnell is giving Philly’s big man movement a much needed boost

"“People said I wouldn’t be here,” T.J. McConnell said. “But sorry to break it to you, I’m here.”"

When Jahlil Okafor fell into the Sixer’s lap at No. 3 in the 2015 NBA Draft, they had to take him. Despite Okafor’s abundant gifts, most notably his precocious footwork in the post, there were legitimate concerns about his ability to fit alongside the team’s budding defensive superstar, Nerlens Noel. Both big men are working on extending their range in order to improve the team’s spacing but another, rather unexpected boost is helping facilitate a smooth co-existence of the team’s young cornerstone bigs in the form of undrafted point guard T.J. McConnell.

McConnell is underwhelming physically — nearly 6-1 without shoes, 6-2 wing span and a 31.5 inch max vert — and his athleticism is never going to wow you. Despite all of that, he’s kind of kicking ass.

So far in his young career, the undersized Pittsburgh native is doing what he does best: Compete extremely hard, make the right decisions, distribute the basketball and act as an extension of his coach on the floor. Perhaps the greatest value that he’s bringing, however, is his ability to simultaneously mentor and maximize the strengths of the team’s two best players, Okafor and Noel.

McConnell and Noel have quickly formed a close bond that is showing on the basketball court. Noel is still raw offensively but he moves well without the basketball and his elite athleticism makes him a dangerous pick-and-roll threat. McConnell, whose father is a legendary high school coach on the Western Pennsylvania basketball scene, is smart enough and patient enough to allow sets to unfold into easy looks for his teammates. This helps mitigate some of Noel’s offensive shortcomings.

Another real strength of McConnell’s is his insatiable desire to learn about the game and help both himself and his teammates improve as basketball players. “He’s always trying to learn something and watching film and then he sends it over to my phone,” Noel noted, “I like that about him.”

In terms of McConnell and Okafor, the young point guard allows his big man to do what he does best, score the basketball, by providing entry passes as just the right spot, recognizing mismatches and drawing defenders just enough to give Okafor the space to operate effectively.

While McConnell may not be the ultimate solution at point guard for the Sixers, his infectious competitive spirit, tremendous basketball IQ and court vision and his willingness to mentor are just what Philly’s young bigs need at this stage in their career.