It is difficult to express to the casual fan how great NBA players truly are. These are the best basketball players in the world competing at the highest level. Even the bench warmers on each team possess extraordinary skills allowing them to dominate on any other level. A perfect example is Pacers guard T.J. McConnell. He is one of the best backup point guards in the NBA but in his high school career, he was a bonafide star.
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In a recent episode of The Young Man and the Three, host Tommy Alter sat down with Nets stars Cam Johnson and Ben Simmons. Before Simmons joined the Nets he played for the Sixers where he was teammates with McConnell. Johnson played in the same high school division as McConnell and witnessed his talents closely. He was at a loss for words while explaining to Simmons just how great his former teammate was in high school. He said,
“It’s so funny cause the T.J. McConnell that we know in the NBA it’s amazing that he has tailored his game to be such an efficient and effective NBA player. But the T.J. McConnell in high school was just different.”
Johnson isn’t exaggerating one bit in his recollection of McConnell’s high school career. His entire style of play was vastly different from the role he has carved out in the NBA. During the 6-foot-1 guard’s senior season, he dominated the competition. He averaged 34.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game. His efforts led Chartiers Valley High School to a state championship appearance.
The Nets sharpshooter couldn’t contain his amazement at McConnell’s ability to adapt to the NBA. He reminisced on the Pacers guard’s reliance on the mid-range shot as a key difference from his high school career. Before the NBA, McConnell was a prolific three-point shooter, but that has completely flipped.
McConnell has found his recipe for success in the NBA
Not every basketball player can be a star in the NBA and McConnell came to that realization early. He spent four seasons in college, the first two with Duquesne and the last two with Arizona. Despite having an objectively successful collegiate career, he still went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft. However, he has found a way to be a mainstay in the league.
McConnell is in his 10th NBA season and is fresh off the heels of his most successful year. In the 2023-24 season, McConnell emerged as one of the best backup guards in the league averaging 10.2 points and 2.5 assists per game. The most impressive aspect is he produced these numbers in only 18.2 minutes per game which is a career-low.
The pesky guard transformed his role from a prolific scorer in high school to an efficient blue-collar guard that isn’t afraid to get chippy if need be. Johnson is one of the many who are big fans of McConnell’s game, and he doesn’t look to slow down his production anytime soon.
