Report: Pacers sign TJ McConnell
The Philadelphia 76ers have had a few different rosters over the past few years. The 2018-19 team had three different variations. One constant through the years of the Process was the presence of point guard T.J. McConnell. From picking up full court defense to being a tremendous teammate, McConnell embodied what it mean to be a Sixer in this era.
Unfortunately, he's played his last game as a member of the Sixers. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, McConnell is headed to the Indiana Pacers on a two-year deal.
T.J. joins the Pacers as what looks to be their third-string point guard. Malcolm Brogdon is their starter and Aaron Holiday is their back-up. If Brogdon plays time at shooting guard, McConnell could see minutes in that scenario.
In 314 career games with the Sixers, McConnell averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 assists on 48.7 percent shooting.
McConnell's story is a good one and he dove into it during an episode of JJ Redick's podcast back in February. T.J. was the last invite to the 2015 NBA Draft Combine. While studying for finals in his senior year at Arizona, he got a call from his agent that he had to pay his way to Chicago for the combine. In case someone dropped out, he was going to get a chance.
Luckily for McConnell, someone dropped out and he got an opportunity to show NBA teams what he was made of at that time. While most prospects met with multiple teams for nearly 2-3 hours, McConnell met with just one team - the Atlanta Hawks. His name wasn't called on draft night, but just a few hours after the conclusion of the draft, McConnell got a call from Sam Hinkie and Brett Brown. The rest is history.
"It's hard to put into words, really, to go from 10 wins to where we're at right now. You gotta give credit to everyone that's been involved in the front office, the players that have played here and the players we have now. "
No one really ever thought McConnell would crack the roster, but he did. Even after Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons were drafted, McConnell still played his way onto the floor and he's been a delight to watch, especially given his remarkable journey to the draft combine alone. McConnell didn't see much time at all in the 2019 playoffs, but remained a spectacular teammate to everyone.
Joel Embiid might have the nickname "The Process", but McConnell was the true embodiment of it. His court slapping, full court defending grit will be missed in the City of Brotherly Love.