So often in the NBA, stars are highlighted for their top skills. No one is shocked by Steph Curry's show of shooting anymore, nor do people doubt Giannis Antetokounmpo's ability to get to the rim, or LeBron James' basketball IQ.
However, within that conversation, we lose track of the supplementary skills that make players so much more than just the sum of their parts. In this series, we will take a deeper look at those secondary talents that certain Indiana Pacers leverage to maximize themselves.
Aaron Nesmith's relocation off-ball was the focus last time, and, although he may not be a star, it's clear that something so easy to overlook can be oh so important to a player's value. Something so understated can be the difference between an elite role player and a non-rotation player.
With that in mind, let's talk about TJ McConnell.
What's the saying? The loudest dogs are the smallest, and the smallest dogs have the sharpest teeth. That may be a mistranslation of a German idiom that I heard a while ago, but it's also one that rings true now.
What it means, quite simply, is that TJ McConnell is a tiny point guard whose outlook has allowed a 6'0 flat point guard with the athleticism to rival an ocelot. That's not something that can be taught or learned as much as it is drilled into the people who fight for every moment they get.
There are no words for someone like that, simply stories you share. High school coaches can't point to LeBron James as a goal because high schools don't often produce 6'9 freight trains with basketball IQs that rival Albert Einstein's scientific prowess.
No, there's something more special about McConnell. In a league full of players who can do anything, he's the only one who has taken the concept of "if you cared enough, you would do whatever" to an extreme.
What does it mean to be the core of a team? Just point to number nine.
The heart of the Pacers
When McConnell arrived in Indiana, he did so as a decently sized contract being cashed in after years of misery on the Process Philadelphia 76ers.
Surviving that era was hard. The churn those Philly teams went through on a month-to-month basis was utterly disgusting. Losses piled up and even the good players on the team looked worse as the franchise barely hit 15 wins on the season.
It made sense when he left, but the Pacers were not a contender by any means.
Instead of simply being a part of Indiana's culture, McConnell has grown to define it. He is the grit that the Pacers' defensive identity is built upon. His bursts of scoring off the bench, however improbable they may feel, are as decisive as they are integral.
When, after Tyrese Haliburton's Game 7 Achilles tear, it was TJ who brought the Pacers back within six points, it felt special.
There are platitudes to describe what McConnell is as a player, but no contemporaries to compare him to.
He is singular and amazing, even if none of his measurables would indicate that.
Add us as a preferred source on Google