This is far from the first time it’s looked like T.J. McConnell might be on the outside looking in at a spot in the Sixers’ rotation.
And it’s far from the first time he’s reminded head coach Brett Brown he’s worthy of minutes
For the first three games of this preseason, Brown didn’t give McConnell any playing time except in the fourth quarter, by the time the regulars had exited.
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That was by design; as Brown figured out his guard rotation off the bench, he felt he needed to learn more about rookie Landry Shamet and 21-year-old Furkan Korkmaz.
"I think that T.J. also needs to be in that consideration,” Brown said last Monday. "It’s just I feel I know what T.J. is.”
McConnell showed once again who he is Monday in the Sixers’ preseason finale, a 115-112 loss to the Mavericks in Shenzhen (see observations). He’s a player you can depend on for immediate energy and relentless effort off the bench. He’s a solid backup point guard, effective at probing the defense for openings and taking his defensive assignment personally. He’s still, somehow, seemingly underestimated by just about every opponent.
He posted eight points on 4 for 4 shooting, three rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 14 minutes against the Mavs. And his plus-15 was the best on the Sixers. In the Sixers’ postseason series against the Celtics he also had the best plus-minus — plus-41.
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Monday, McConnell also gave a hint of what he could be on this version of the Sixers. Brown has mentioned numerous times that he’s more comfortable playing McConnell at the point than as a shooting guard, though he said before the Sixers left for China that he would try him at the two alongside Ben Simmons, a pairing that worked well in the playoffs against Boston
That’s not exactly what happened. Instead, Brown first put McConnell into the game at the one, in a lineup with JJ Redick, Mike Muscala, Simmons and Joel Embiid. Simmons was at the four, a position he played much more in the preseason as the Sixers look to take advantage of his size, strength and passing ability out of the post. That lineup was promising, helping the Sixers take the lead after some early struggles. McConnell hit a couple of the leaners he loves from just inside the foul line, Simmons powered his way to the basket for a thunderous dunk, and Embiid did his thing in the low post.
Early in the second period, Brown got even more creative, using a backcourt of McConnell, JJ Redick and Landry Shamet. With defenders reluctant to help off Redick and Shamet, the lane was wide open for McConnell to penetrate. It’s probably not a trio Brown would turn to frequently, given the lack of size and defensive deficiencies, but it’s one worth exploring as a way to get some quick offense and give McConnell opportunities to create.
Heading into this season, with the Sixers hoping Markelle Fultz could rediscover his shot, it was easy to foresee the possibility that McConnell would have his minutes cut.
Even Embiid was asked at his exit interview in May about Fultz perhaps taking away from McConnell’s playing time.
“It’s tough,” Embiid. “T.J. is the type of guy that you have to play him.”
McConnell keeps proving him right.
It won’t be as simple this season as plugging him in as a conventional backup point guard when Simmons sits, but McConnell keeps demonstrating that it’s worth trying out some unusual combinations if that’s what’s necessary for the Sixers to get him on the floor.