One of my most vivid memories of covering the NBA is watching T.J. McConnell shoot 3-pointers in an off-site practice gym. It was 2018 and the 76ers were in Miami playing the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. I was there to interview then-Sixers coach Brett Brown, but I found myself more interested in this little dude hoisting shots up in the background.
And yes, hoisting is the right word. In stark contrast to most NBA players who flick up 30 footers like they’re tossing wadded-up paper into the trash bin, McConnell appeared to be using every ounce of force he could muster to simply get the ball to the rim. He might as well have been shot-putting a bowling ball. He looked positively normal, like the guy who gets called out of the stands at halftime to shoot for a gift certificate and suddenly realizes that 23 feet and nine inches is a lot farther away than it looks on TV.
I remember thinking: “This guy is an NBA player?”
Fast forward seven years, and McConnell is a lot more than your average NBA player. He has become one of the best bench players in the league. He’s on a $45 million contract that suddenly feels like a bargain for a guy who’s taking center stage in these NBA Finals, at times flat out carrying this Pacers team that on Thursday night waxed the Thunder clean off the floor with a 108-91 Game 6 lashing.
Buckle up, buttercups. Game 7 is on Sunday.
At this rate, McConnell, who went for 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals on Thursday, is poised to play a massive role in that one, too. This isn’t just a once-in-a-while thing, after all. McConnell earned multiple top-three votes for Sixth Man of the Year last season and he’s been on some kind of bender throughout this postseason, averaging double-digit points on 53% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.
Against OKC, specifically, he has gone full ham as the first player since Jason Kidd in 2002 to record at least 30 points, 15 assists and eight steals through the first three games of the Finals. In the Pacers’ Game 3 victory, he became…
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