T.J. McConnell Hustled His Way to Minutes
Playing hard is a skill.
T.J. McConnell isn’t your typical NBA player.
He’s small, not flashy, and doesn’t take and make 3-pointers at a high clip. And if you take a quick glance at his stats, it’s not super impressive either.
So you may wonder, “How on Earth is this guy a 10-year vet in the NBA?”
Well, it’s because he hustles.
McConnell is one of the hardest working players in the league. And I don’t mean that in the sense that he practices a lot. I mean that in the sense that he plays really hard every single time he steps onto the hardwood. He always puts in 100 percent effort.
For example, during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 3, 2021, the Indiana Pacers’ McConnell drove in for a layup, and after making the layup, immediately tried to press the ball handler full court.
He also stole the ball 10 times in this game, breaking the Pacers record for most steals in a game.
“But why does he play so hard all of the time?” you may be thinking.
Well, it’s because that’s what he wanted his basketball identity to be.
On The Young Man and the Three podcast, he told host Tommy Alter that to stand out, he had to hustle.
“I genuinely believe playing hard is a skill because if it wasn’t everyone would do it,” McConnell said. “And, you know when I came in, like I’m trying to tell you about this guy, Chris Babcock, he’s like, ‘You need to stand out. Nobody picks up full court and you need to make that your calling card.’ And so we got in the gym three times a day, I got in elite shape, and he’s like, ‘You’re going to pick everyone up full court. And that’s what you’re going to hang your hat on.’ And it’s something I’ve created an identity about.”
McConnell also talked about how hustling on both ends of the court has helped him get and keep jobs, and get promoted.
“And if you play really hard and make life hell for the other team -I mean, the other stuff like the offence, that shit will fall into place. But if you’re going and playing to exhaustion every time you’re out there, like I said, it just gives you a chance to make a roster and to get more minutes. I mean, I feel like I’ve made a ten-year career on just outplaying people.”
McConnell is currently in his sixth year with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 18 minutes a game as the team’s backup point guard in 2024-25.
He plays an important role on the team as the energy guy and averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.1 steals.