Former Arizona Wildcat T.J. McConnell, the Ultimate Team Player
By David Rosen
Former Arizona Wildcat and fan favorite T.J. McConnell of the Philadelphia 76ers, showed tonight why he is the ultimate team player.
Team player. Unselfish. Passionate. Court awareness. These are all characteristics that describe No.12 of the Philadelphia 76ers, T.J. McConnell. Oh yeah, did I forget to also mention he is probably one of the most liked individuals by his teammates as well as Wildcat fans. Even in a losing effort against the Houston Rockets, 105-104, McConnell showcased why he is the “ultimate” team player.
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If you were to go onto Twitter and just do a search for McConnell, you would think he is one of the MOST popular players in the NBA right now – that’s because he is! Wildcat and Philly fans ABSOLUTELY love him because of his basketball abilities and his personality. He truly does embrace and define what it means to Bear Down!
With the 2017 NBA No.1 Draft pick, Markelle Fultz, out for three games recovering from a sore shoulder, McConnell is taking full advantage of the opportunity and proving why he deserves to be in the starting lineup.
Four games into the regular season, he has averaged about 15 minutes per game, three points and three assists per game. Tonight turned out to be a little different stat line!
| Rk | G | Date | Opp | GS | MP | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2017-10-18 | WAS | L (-5) | 0 | 14:55 | 1 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 2017-10-20 | BOS | L (-10) | 0 | 12:19 | 1 | .500 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 1.000 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 | 2017-10-21 | TOR | L (-34) | 0 | 18:15 | 1 | .250 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | 4 | 2017-10-23 | DET | W (+11) | 0 | 15:42 | 2 | .400 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/25/2017.
In 28 minutes played and coming off the bench against the Rockets, this is what happened:
- Six points
- Nine assists
- Five rebounds
- Six steals
Those stats are unreal! Talking about taking care of business on both ends of the floor. Yes, those stats do not actually include and double-digit numbers, but they do represent what it means to be a true point guard.
This play by McConnell in the third quarter says it all! What makes it even sweeter is that he ends up stealing the ball from former Arizona State Sun Devil standout James Harden.
Sometimes it’s not about putting up massive stats, but about the little things that don’t show up in the score sheet – that’s what McConnell does! Tonight he did that and some. While McConnell was at Arizona, he did the same thing, reason why fans, teammates and coaches loved him!
T O G E T H E R pic.twitter.com/SkScWidDcN
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 26, 2017
Zona Zealots would like to congratulate McConnell on having a great performance against James Harden and the Rockets. As the season continues, hopefully he will continued to have the opportunity to shine at the point guard position. At 25 years of age and only three seasons into his NBA career, he is sure to have a lot more memorable moments his fans to enjoy. Bear Down!