The most surprising player from each NBA team this season
By Connor Learn
Philadelphia 76ers: T.J. McConnell
T.J. McConnell wasn’t supposed to become an NBA starter. He went to Duquesne out of high school and played there for two seasons before getting the chance to transfer to Arizona. He became the starter for the Wildcats once he became eligible and helped lead them to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. A good defensive point guard, passer, and leader, McConnell is a decent athlete at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He can run with most point guards on defense, but most thought he wouldn’t be explosive enough to play at the NBA level.
McConnell indeed went undrafted in 2015. He accepted a camp offer from the lowly 76ers and managed to make the squad with his gritty play. He surprised most when he started 17 games and was in the 76ers rotation for most of his rookie season. McConnell didn’t blow anybody away, but provided steady play for the young 76ers. Despite the lack of a good shooting stroke, he proved himself worthy of NBA minutes last season.
Over this summer, Philadelphia signed veteran point guards Sergio Rodriguez and Jerryd Bayless and drafted point-forward Ben Simmons. If they knew that they had a potential starting point guard in McConnell, they didn’t show it. Due to injuries, he got his chance to play this year and helped ignite a new trend in Philadelphia: winning. The 76ers are 11-7 in his starts; his unselfish brand of play has led to success. Though he’ll likely be out of the starting lineup once Simmons is back, McConnell has proven himself this season.