The Hoop & The Harm

Introduction

Role players are the glue that holds a basketball team together. While stars set the foundation and raise the baseline of a team, it’s the role players who often determine just how high that team’s ceiling can go. They handle the dirty work, fill the gaps, and maximize the impact of the stars around them. When you combine a superstar who elevates his teammates WITH a group of reliable, successful role players, that’s when winning really happens.

But being an NBA role player isn’t easy. The spotlight almost always belongs to the stars, and many of the small but important contributions role players make go unnoticed. More often than not, the moments people remember are the mistakes (missed open shots, defensive breakdowns, or turnovers). This series is meant to flip that perspective and give some appreciation to my favorite role players in NBA history. First up, the legend himself: T.J. McConnell.

T.J.’s Career

I’ll admit I’m a bit biased here…T.J. McConnell is a hometown hero in Western Pennsylvania. I’ve known about T.J. since I was in elementary school, back when he was lighting up the WPIAL and leading the league in scoring at Chartiers Valley. Anytime a kid from the Pittsburgh area makes it to the pros, it feels special.

Bias aside, T.J. has genuinely become one of the best stories in basketball. An undersized (white) guard with average athleticism and below-average three-point shooting isn’t exactly the typical recipe for a long NBA career. Yet somehow, T.J. has carved out a role and stuck in the league for more than a decade. When you think about the odds stacked against him, it’s pretty remarkable.

He’s become a fan favorite in both Philadelphia and Indiana (two hard-nosed basketball cities) thanks to his relentless, gritty playstyle and his relatability. In a lot of ways, he looks like the kind of guy you’d see at your local gym run…except he happens to be in the NBA. So what exactly makes T.J. McConnell such an impactful player despite his physical limitations? Let’s break it down.

What Makes Him Special

Hustle

• Everything starts with TJ’s motor. His effort level is genuinely 1-of-1 in the NBA. McConnell first carved out his role with the 76ers by doing something almost nobody in today’s game does anymore…picking up ball handlers full court, every possession. Even as a backup, when he checks into the game there’s no drop-off in intensity. If anything, the pace and energy immediately jump. That kind of spark matters, and it’s part of why Indiana’s bench units have been so productive during his tenure. The Pacers actually led the NBA in bench scoring in both 2023 and 2024, and were still top-7 in 2025. T.J. doesn’t just fill minutes, he changes the tempo of games.

IQ

• If hustle gets him on the floor, his IQ is what makes him effective once he’s there. McConnell is the definition of a true point guard: reliable ball handler, smart decision-maker, and a constant communicator on both ends. He reads defenses extremely well and consistently puts teammates in good spots. In the 2023-24 season, T.J. was 27th in the NBA in Assists at 5.5 per game. He was the only person in the top 30 to average under 25 min/game. This resulted in an astounding 0.30 assists/min while he was on the court (similar to Haliburton’s 0.34 that year – who led the league in Assists).
• Defensively, he uses that same awareness to create chaos. His signature move (stealing inbounds passes) is something he essentially invented through anticipation and timing. In 2021, he actually led the entire NBA in total steals with 128, briefly putting him in Defensive Player of the Year conversations despite competing against far bigger and more athletic defenders.

Elite Burst & Quickness

• One thing that often surprises people about T.J. is just how quick he is. Even in a league full of elite athletes, he’s virtually impossible to stay in front of. His low center of gravity, tight handle, and explosive first step allow him to consistently break down defenders. The numbers back that up: in 2025 he averaged 11.6 drives per game while playing just 17.9 minutes per night—that’s over 23 drives per 36 minutes, a ridiculous rate for a reserve guard. He also ranked 5th in the entire NBA in average speed (4.78) among players who appeared in at least 10 games. T.J. may not look like a traditional athlete, but his burst and stamina are elite.

Mid-Range Shotmaking

• It’s impossible to stay in the NBA without being able to score, and McConnell has found a reliable way to do it. While he uses his quickness to get to the rim, his most consistent weapon is the mid-range pull-up. Once he gets defenders backpedaling, he’s excellent at stopping on a dime and rising into that jumper. In 2025, he shot 47% on pull-up jumpers, and it became an especially important part of Indiana’s offense during their playoff run. In the 2025 playoffs alone, he knocked down an absurd 57% of his shots from 10–16 ft and 64% from 16 ft to the three-point line, a huge factor in the Pacers’ success. He was arguably Indy’s most reliable offensive player throughout all 4 rounds. 
• Over seven seasons in Indiana, McConnell has quietly averaged 8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, proving that impact doesn’t always come from stars. Sometimes it comes from the guy who plays harder, thinks faster, and refuses to give up possessions.

The Small Guard Archetype is Fading Away

This version of the small guard is slowly going extinct, and T.J. feels like one of the last of a dying breed. We’ve seen plenty of players with similar profiles dominate in college or overseas (guys like Aaron Craft) but very few have been able to translate that success to the NBA level. What makes T.J. unique is that he’s essentially a blueprint for how an undersized guard can survive in today’s game. Ideally, you’d pair his skillset with elite shooting (like a Payton Pritchard), but even without that, there’s still a path. It requires taking smart shots, running an offense with precision, and competing relentlessly on defense every single possession. 

In a lot of ways, T.J. feels like the Dennis Rodman of John Stocktons: a player who takes the traditional point guard role and injects it with relentless energy, disruption, and effort. And to take it a step further, if a player like Bronny James were able to impact the game the way T.J. does, he’d likely have a long and very successful NBA career. As backwards as that sounds, it just highlights how valuable this playstyle really is. With Bronny’s physical tools and athleticism, pairing that with TJ’s approach would likely make him a no-doubt starter in this league. It really puts into perspective how impactful McConnell is, even without the typical physical advantages.

Even then, nothing at this size is guaranteed…T.J. isn’t the norm, he’s the exception. And that’s exactly what makes his career so impressive.