The Indiana Pacers have re-signed their backup point guard TJ McConnell for four years, $45 million dollars, per Adrian Wojnarowski. This will put the total earnings of his most likely final NBA contract at $54 million, and five years.
McConnell has been a backup point guard for his whole career, previously playing for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2015 to 2019. In his career, McConnell has averaged 7.5 points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal a game.
With stats like that, it may seem weird to get such a large extension. What it doesn’t show is the intangibles McConnell brings to the table. He is a great perimeter defender, and his playoff performance this past year was insane.
In the first round against Milwaukee, in their final game McConnell had 20 points and nine assists to help send the Pacers to the second round. In the second round against the Knicks, McConnell put in serious work. Averaging a little over 13 points a game, McConnell had two double-double games, and had five games with 10+ points. He is a spark plug off the bench, and he can really do wonders for the Pacer’s offense.
McConnell will once again be a backup this year, but his efforts will not go unnoticed.
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