McConnell Turning Heads At The Point For 76ers
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 76ers will try to pick up their first win of the season tonight as they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Philadelphia is 0-4 but there have been some interesting storylines with this young group and right at the top of that list is the emergence of rookie point guard T.J. McConnell.
Undrafted out of the University of Arizona, the 6-2 McConnell made the Sixers out of training camp as a rookie free agent. He came off the bench for the first three games of the season, really announcing his presence with authority on Monday night against the Cavaliers at the Center. In that game, he had six points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in 23 minutes without committing a turnover. That performance earned him his first career NBA start on Wednesday night in Milwaukee and he thrived once again, dishing out 12 assists with nine rebounds and seven points while committing just one turnover.
"It's been fun," McConnell tells KYW Newsradio. "But I'm just trying to make it all business. I'm just trying to get some wins for us and doing anything I can to get my teammates the ball."
Listen to the entire interview with T.J. McConnell of the 76ers:
McConnell is without question a pass-first (and maybe pass-second) point guard. He talks about what he enjoys about being a facilitator for his teammates.
"It's just satisfying to see a guy have a big night and score a good amount of points and you know that you got him the ball and he's happy about the way he played," McConnell says. "It's just satisfying as a point guard to be able to get people the ball and have them have good nights. That feels good."
McConnell is fifth in the NBA in assists this season, averaging eight a game and he has already developed great chemistry with the two key big men for the Sixers, Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel.
"You've got to know when your big guys need touches," McConnell says. "I even told them, if they haven't gotten the ball in a couple possessions, come up and tell me, I'll (try) and get them the ball and they've done a great job of that. We've all watched film together, spots we can be in off pick and rolls and they're always looking to get better and so am I. So that's a good thing for all three of us."
The 76ers and the Cavaliers will tip-off at 7:30 tonight.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
