In a matter of weeks, T.J. McConnell will be able to say he completed his first NBA season. He has appeared in all but one game, proven himself as a tough-nosed player and solidified his role as the Sixers’ backup point guard.
Still, the undrafted rookie is viewing each time he suits up as an audition, every practice as a job interview. In spite of the 65 games, 17 starts and 1,294 minutes, McConnell hasn’t let himself feel settled in the NBA.
“There hasn’t really been a time where it’s clicked,” McConnell said. “I like to have the mindset where I feel like I’m fighting for my job every day and it motivates me to work hard. I haven’t sat back and said, ‘Wow, I’m in the NBA.’ When I made the team, I think that was when I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve accomplished my dream.’”
There has been nothing guaranteed about McConnell’s young NBA career. He was added to a long list of point guards when he signed with the Sixers, with more experienced players and higher draft picks ahead of him. As others were waived, McConnell stayed focused. Brett Brown appreciates McConnell’s lack of complacency.
“Nor should he [be comfortable] because this thing is fleeting,” Brown said recently. “We can never not respect this. There is zero sense of entitlement. I say that T.J. should never look at it any other way, nor should any of us. He’s a part of that whole system.”
McConnell is averaging 6.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 19.9 minutes. He leads all rookies with an average of 1.22 steals per game and a total of 79 steals. In comparison, second overall pick D’Angelo Russell is second to McConnell with 1.15 steals and 75 total in eight minutes more per game for the Lakers.
McConnell developed a reputation as a grind-it-out player. He gashed his shin open chasing a loose ball out of bounds against the Celtics and returned to the game. A month and a half later, the laceration still is healing.
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The only time McConnell has missed a game this season was after suffering a sprained ankle during a jump ball. It was against 6-10 Ersan Ilyasova, who has eight inches on McConnell.
“The thing that I respect most about him is that he epitomizes that quality that I think might be the No. 1 thing that we need: day-to-day guys, people that you know what you’re getting,” Brown said. “He’s steady, he’s stable, he’s personality, he’s tough, he brings that edge to a game, to a practice, to a locker room. I just respect him. That’s just how he’s wired.”
Brown has shown his belief in McConnell throughout the season, including after a mid-February loss to the Pelicans. McConnell struggled in that game, playing only seven minutes, and Brown called on Kendall Marshall to take the court. Marshall thrived with nine points (a pair of threes), three assists, a steal and no turnovers in just 11 minutes. In the next game against the Mavericks, Brown went back to McConnell as the backup.
“When Kendall goes out and plays a game like that, you think he deserves to be out there,” McConnell said. “For Coach to have confidence in you after a bad game, it makes you feel good as a player.”
The frustration shows on McConnell’s face when he makes an error. He is quick to point to himself, but has learned quickly not to dwell on missteps. He doesn’t let himself get carried away by success, either.
“It can be stressful, but when you take it game by game, practice by practice and one day at a time, it doesn’t overwhelm you as much as you think,” McConnell said. “I know nobody’s perfect, but no one more than me hates to make mistakes. If you make one, you’ve just got to move on and it’s the next play.”
Brown believes McConnell is only starting to crack the surface, saying, “his better days are well and truly ahead of him.” In order to get to that point, McConnell will maintain the same approach. Each game is another opportunity to prove he belongs.
"I think if I keep the mindset of day by day, fighting for my job every day," McConnell said, "hopefully it turns out to be a long career for me."