T.J. McConnell has been a trade target for the Phoenix Suns in the past and is helping his current team, the Indiana Pacers, into the NBA’s regular season tournament.
The Phoenix Suns did not appear in the NBA’s first Final Four-style regular season tournament in Las Vegas as they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in controversial circumstances.As tough as that defeat was, it was made worse by the fact that the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals and are now one game away from winning a trophy. Not that this tournament was the Suns’ goal for the season, but the excitement and interest that the tournament created in what is normally a dead end in the season for the NBA made it worth trying to win. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Indiana Pacers provided the underdog narrative to the star power that was the Lakers and LeBron James, making it all the way to the Finals. Tyrese Haliburton – a player the Suns could have signed – was incredible, and the Pacers beat the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks en route to a date with the Lakers. One player who played a small role in the team’s success during this stretch was point guard T.J. McConnell, someone the Suns have a long association with. In Las Vegas, McConnell came off the bench like a spark plug and delivered nine points and four assists in 11 minutes of play against the Bucks. He was the team’s tenth man as head coach Rick Carlisle extended his rotation, but he did not disappoint with the limited number of players he received. In fact, his four assists only surpassed Haliburton’s incredible 15, while his 11 points were fifth-best on the team and eclipsed every other player coming off the bench, as well as starter Bruce Brown, who finished with 10 points. This performance was the only good thing about McConnell, a player who has obvious flaws but who also clearly has faith in the Pacers’ coaching staff. Basically, he’s everything the Suns would like to have behind Devin Booker, especially since Booker has been in and out of the lineup all season due to multiple injuries. McConnell definitely shouldn’t start in Indiana or The Valley, but he’s exactly the kind of player who can give you something in a big game.These tournament games the Pacers participated in were the highest stakes games they have played since current Suns coach Frank Vogel led the team. That speaks not only to the Pacers’ trajectory in the time since Vogel left, but also to the success the regular season tournament has had in creating drama and tension. So if the Pacers feel comfortable giving the ball to McConnell for periods of a game against a team at the Bucks’ level, it really shows that he has something to offer a true contender. Which the Pacers aren’t quite yet – although they will be if Haliburton continues this rise – but the Suns believe they are now. Last season they had Cameron Payne, now with the Bucks, running the show as a backup, and the results were what you’d expect. Payne gave it his all, but he’s not as annoying as McConnell on defense, nor is he the steady hand he’s used to finding the right players to play at the right time. McConnell didn’t have the same impact in the quarterfinal win over the Celtics, with two points and three assists in nine minutes of action. But on that occasion he still rotated nine players (he played in the eighth minute) and had the third most assists of anyone on his team in that cameo. However, there’s more to the 31-year-old than just numbers, and there’s a reason he’s been repeatedly linked to the Suns. He’s an affordable veteran who wouldn’t hurt the team in big games – provided he’s used the same way he is currently – and who could steer the ship while players like Booker and Bradley Beal were on the bench, or worse. , hurt . Unfortunately for the Suns, given their current roster makeup and draft space, getting McConnell would likely require a move for Grayson Allen. This is not a good idea considering how important Allen has been to the Suns so far this season. However, with these performances and the fact that he is playing a role on a good Pacers team, McConnell hasn’t done any harm to his own stats as of late.
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