T.J.’s Max Not Quite Enough for Sixers to Top Bucks

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Milwaukee 91, Philadelphia 87 – Box Score

The Philadelphia 76ers led a basketball game with as little as a minute and a half left remaining. That, in itself, made for a more pleasurable viewing experience than fans have been accustomed to during the early part of this 2015-16 season. However, as Khris Middleton finally got hot down the stretch (21 points, including 7 in the last 3 minutes), and the elusive sands of victory sifted through their fingers, the Sixers still showed the foundational pieces for a promising tomorrow.

Nerlens Noel recorded his 2nd double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Alongside his standard stellar defensive work, Noel’s re-calibrated jumper looked great, as he drained a few 15-footers on the night. Overall, he just looked more comfortable with the ball and creating shots for himself and others.

Meanwhile, his frontcourt mate, Jahlil Okafor, dropped a team-high 21 points on 9-13 shooting. Big Jah showed terrific poise working the ball out of double teams; then, when he was left 1-on-1, he took his time and methodically went to work. Defensively, Greg Monroe still got his (18 points on 7-14 shooting), but it wasn’t as though Okafor was a liability on that end by any means.

Yet, I’m in danger of burying the lede, which on this night was T.J. McConnell. The undrafted rookie once again flirted with a triple-double, recording 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists. Sixers fans are ready to crown him the starting point guard for the foreseeable future, but it’s not simply a case of hometown team falling in love with the scrappy underdog. Check this out:

76ers rookie T.J. McConnell is the 1st player in NBA history with at least 12 assists in 2 of his first 4 career games (@EliasSports).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2015

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Nobody else in history! Of the NBA! And he’s not just putting up empty counting stats, as a certain Syracuse alum who recently played point guard for the Sixers may have done on occasion. Those 24 assists over the last two games have come against just one turnover. One! As in, T.J. McConnell has a 24:1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last two games.

Certainly, this is a small sample size and he’s due for regression, but the team just looks so much more fluid offensively when McConnell is running the show. He plays under control, uses crafty hesitation moves to cut into the heart of a defense, and has a knack for finding the open man. The Sixers may not have their point guard of the future, but they have their point guard of right now. At the moment, that’s enough.

Other Notes:

• It wasn’t the best game for Nik Stauskas, as he went 5-19 from the field (3-14 from three) and struggled with his dribble penetration game more than usual, committing 4 turnovers. However, although a couple of those shots were game clock dependent heaves, most were wide-open looks. As with McConnell, the offense just looks more professional with Sauce out there doing his things. Better days ahead for him.
• Jerami Grant was active defensively, pulling down 7 boards and swatting 4 Bucks shots in just 23 minutes (during which he was a team-best +22). It doesn’t look like his shot is ever coming to come around, but he seems assured of fulfilling his destiny as a guy who can come off the bench for a good team and cause some havoc in limited minutes.
• Hollis Thompson was a team-worst -22 on the night, going just 1-4 from three, but more crucially, committing 5 turnovers, which is horrendous for a guy not asked to handle the ball a whole lot. Thompson just looks skittish out on the court; I’m not sure why he seems to be rushing everything he does. Certainly, it’s been a big step back for Holliswood this season.
• Isaiah Canaan was downright unwatchable out on the floor, as even his last remaining supporters on the bandwagon are crawling over each other to get off. He missed all 4 of his shots, only recorded 1 assist in 15 minutes, and was once again, a huge defensive liability. Canaan’s play was so bad that when Brett Brown needed to give T.J. McConnell a quick blow in the 4th quarter, instead of turning to Canaan, the coach went to Phil Pressey, who I’m pretty sure had just arrived at the arena and hadn’t met most of his new teammates. I can’t wait for Marshall and Wroten to come back so they can show Canaan the door.