Isaiah Thomas is one of the best small-stature point guards in recent memory. He gave some advice for smaller players that might help Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell.
For Indiana Pacers backup point guard T.J. McConnell, the struggles physical limitations can create in the NBA are familiar. Standing at just 6-foot-1, one of the main reasons McConnell went undrafted was his stature. He’s fought hard to keep his spot in the NBA.
It’s far easier for NBA general managers and draft gurus to see how a lengthy player might be able to fill out their frame and grow into a substantially impactful player and harder to connect the dots on how a smaller player will impact the game in a big way.
More work is required of smaller players to carve out a solid role in the league.
Isaiah Thomas, who stands at 5-foot-9, knows this struggle. Nearly going undrafted himself (taken with the very last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft), Thomas has crafted a nice nine-year career. While he’s been on the downturn since being traded by the Boston Celtics for Kyrie Irving, Thomas is a two-time All-Star and made the All-NBA second team in 2017.
For his career, Thomas averages 18.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
Recently on Twitter, IT answered a question about how undersized players can make their way in the game of basketball, something T.J. McConnell can take to heart:
I think as a small guard you have to be SPECIAL at all times. Whatever that means then that’s what you have to be. They don’t give little guards anything so when you get your chance be SPECIAL!!! https://t.co/0eKVe4k0f8
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) March 23, 2020
McConnell is certainly special, he would not have lasted this long in the league if he wasn’t.
He brings an intense energy to the floor, picks guards up full-court so his defensive liability in the half-court isn’t as much of a detriment to his team, and is having the best year of his career.
While point guards blessed with height and wingspan can be more lackadaisical some nights and still put up a net-positive performance, McConnell does not have that luxury. He knows that.
It’s why you often see him engaged in intense game-planning conversation during dead balls with teammates. It’s why he continues to put numbers up despite his limitations. It’s why he’s often putting his body on the line to get after loose balls.
McConnell, who is averaging 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game likely won’t ever shape up to be the scorer Thomas was in Boston, but McConnell certainly has that “X-Factor” about him that will allow him to stick around the league.
Always scrappy, always energetic, always quality. McConnell brings something to the table every single night.