Back when Rick Carlisle coached the Dallas Mavericks, he had one thought about T.J. McConnell.
"He was an enormous annoyance," Carlisle told reporters.
That hasn't changed in the ensuing years. McConnell still drives opponents crazy with his penchant for making big hustle plays. The Pacers have lost the first two games of their second-round series by a combined 13 points, but they've outscored the Knicks by 19 with McConnell on the floor.
Carlisle received plenty of second-guessing when he pulled McConnell with seven minutes left in Game 2. The Pacers saw a two-point deficit balloon up to nine by the final buzzer. The same thing happened in Game 1 — McConnell was pulled with over nine minutes left, and Indiana's four-point lead morphed into a four-point loss.
Carlisle can't afford to make that same mistake again in Indiana's remaining games. McConnell has absolutely been cooking during this series. Here's why he's so vital to the Pacers' success.
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T.J. McConnell's drives are creating terrific offense for the Pacers
McConnell's averages during this second round speak for themselves. In only 22.5 minutes per game, he's contributing 14.0 points and 7.5 assists. Much of that is coming from his flurry of drives. He never stops attacking when he's on the court.
The Knicks have had ZERO answers for TJ McConnell in this series. pic.twitter.com/gsjUNspqNX
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) May 9, 2024
McConnell is driving the ball 15.5 times per game against the Knicks, which is an even higher number than Tyrese Haliburton's 10.0 per game. McConnell has been the Pacers' second-best player, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot and pushing the pace to breakneck speeds.
Miles McBride and Jalen Brunson have had no chance of staying in front of McConnell. He's had terrific touch on his layups when he gets past that initial layer of defense. While Brunson has gotten his, the Pacers aren't stopping him anyway. They need McConnell's offense out there over Andrew Nembhard, who has been subbing in for him at the end of these games.
T.J. McConnell's passing vision has been outstanding
This is McConnell's ninth year in the league. He has learned the point guard position inside out, and he has become a master at setting up teammates. Some of the assists that he's had in this series have been mind-blowing.
Look at the way he threads this pass over the top to Obi Toppin for a layup:
Or how he perfectly executes this Spain pick-and-roll off of an inbounds play, throwing it between four Knicks defenders collapsing into the paint to set up an and-one layup:
McConnell's pristine passing has been one of Indy's best weapons in this series. The Knicks have had no answer for it aside from hoping that Carlisle continues to limit his minutes.
T.J. McConnell is elite at forcing turnovers on inbounds plays
Jose Alvarado has gotten the credit for being an inbounds steals merchant, but McConnell was doing it first. For years, he has feasted on picking off nonchalant inbounds passes. Opponents are not accustomed to having someone try so hard to prevent a basic pass from being thrown.
McConnell's intense defensive pressure has led to four inbounds turnovers through the first two games of this series. He's visibly frustrated fellow try-hard Josh Hart.
TJ McConnell being "an enormous annoyance" on basic inbounds situations has caused four Knicks turnovers through the first two games: https://t.co/PJQS4Gr15z pic.twitter.com/uOldSxDIG3
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) May 9, 2024
Any player in the league is capable of doing this, but McConnell is one of only a select few who is actually willing to put in the effort. Those small plays add up to why he is so valuable on the floor. And for whatever reason, he seems to get up every time against the Knicks — he hit a game-winner against them back in 2017 as a member of the Sixers. He is not afraid of the moment.
Carlisle defended his choice to go with Nembhard to close both of the first two games, noting postgame that "our starters have earned the trust to finish games. Nembhard's probably our best on-ball defender."
That may not last. He later added that "everything's on the table going forward" in terms of rotation changes.
The obvious adjustment is more McConnell. It has potentially cost them two games, but it may not be too late to save the series.
