Young Indiana Pacers players benefitting from T.J. McConnell's leadership
INDIANAPOLIS — Every young basketball team needs useful veterans to teach young players the ropes and provide stability on the court. For the Indiana Pacers, their leading veteran has been 30-year old guard T.J. McConnell.
McConnell is a natural coach and teacher — his father, Tim, is a high school basketball coach in Pennsylvania. Last season, while McConnell was out for four months when recovering from right wrist surgery, he became a coach-light in Pacers practices, he helped out his teammates in drills as much as he could with only one hand. He's got excellent leadership qualities to go along with his talent.
That makes him a natural leader for a younger Indiana team this season, and multiple inexperienced players have gravitated towards his guidance during the ongoing Pacers season.
"He's being positive and bringing a competitive nature every day. You see it on the court, he's always getting the crowd fired up with the plays that he makes," rookie wing Kendall Brown said. "It's just an overall good teammate to play with."
McConnell possesses the perfect blend of competitiveness, optimism, and ability to encourage others to elevate his teammates. It helps that he's talented, which on its own earns him respect from younger peers. The veteran guard has the ideal makeup to be a leader.
In training camp, that meant telling to Tyrese Haliburton to shoot more often and be more aggressive. Those moments have factored in to Haliburton's newfound, improved play style. In practices, it means being a tough matchup on defense that makes guys work and boost their abilities.
"100%," rookie guard Andrew Nembhard said when asked if he hates being guarded by McConnell in practices. It may be annoying, but it has elevated Nembhard's game.
"He's got a certain understanding and a certain experience level that just allows us to be comfortable when he's giving us those tips and giving that confidence in us," Nembhard said of McConnell. "He's a very selfless guy and he looks to put others first. He's always been trying to help me in any way, on and off the court, just to feel comfortable. I think that's the biggest thing he's done for us is make us feel comfortable."
In games, McConnell is the ultimate motivator and occasional master of strategy. He sees the game well, and that allows him to tell other guys what they need to do to be successful.
Sometimes, he helps mediate in games to keep his team's spirits up. Other times, he just knows the right gesture to lift his squad. In between, he helps the blue and gold with solid perimiter defense and playmaking — the Pacers defensive rating is better with McConnell on the court than off, per pbpstats, and he's dishing out 7.4 assists per 36 minutes this season, up from his numbers last year.
"T.J. is a guy who makes the game super easy for others," Nembhard said. McConnell clearly can provide a boost on the court during games, but that effect doesn't disappear when he moves to the bench.
"T.J. has been in my ear all the time. Pretty much any time I get a sliver of space, let it fly. T.J. is making sure I get them up," first-year Pacer Aaron Nesmith said of McConnell's leadership. Nesmith is taking 6.0 threes per 36 minutes and has raised his career three-point percentage so far this year.
The Pacers have several effective leaders and veterans and have created an environment that is excellent for growth so far this campaign. But McConnell stands out as a voice for the Pacers both from observation and from the number of young players who have praised his leadership capabilities this season.
"T.J., he's an easy guy to like because of the way he approaches the game, how hard he plays. Really, he had a dominant training camp. He was really great defensively and offensively. I think those are some of the obvious reasons," head coach Rick Carlisle said of McConnell being praised earlier this season.
"We really need him, he's an important part of what we're doing," the head coach added. McConnell may not be the best player on the Indiana Pacers or the one with the brightest future, but he's still providing a ton of value to the building team on and off the court. That's what talented vets do, and that's what McConnell has done. And some.
"He's been teaching me how to operate and how to get better, how to just keep working. I feel like I'm not doing him justice, really. He's been a big help for me," Nembhard said, and he said it perfectly. Words do not do justice to T.J. McConnell's impact on the Indiana Pacers. It's immense.
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