McConnell registered 16 points (8-13 FG), six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal over 28 minutes during Sunday's 103-91 loss to the Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
McConnell was arguably one of Indiana's best players in the NBA Finals after playing a modest role in the regular season -- he averaged 17.9 minutes per night across 79 regular-season contests with 9.1 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals on 51.9 percent shooting from the field. McConnell, who has four years and $44.8 million left on his contract, is set to take on a larger role in 2025-26 due to Tyrese Haliburton being sidelined by an Achilles tear he suffered during Game 7.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Shines bright in Game 6 victory
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McConnell finished Thursday's 108-91 win over the Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals with 12 points (6-12 FG, 0-2 FT), nine rebounds, six assists and four steals across 24 minutes.
McConnell stepped up on both ends of the floor, shouldering more of the point guard duties with Tyrese Haliburton limited due to a calf injury. The veteran McConnell has now scored double digits in four of the past five games, while tallying 13 total steals during that time. Although Haliburton will almost certainly be available for Game 7, McConnell will likely be called upon to lighten the load as Indiana looks for its first NBA title.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Supplies 18 points from bench
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McConnell racked up 18 points (8-14 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 22 minutes during Monday's 120-109 loss to Oklahoma City in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
McConnell turned in 13 points in the third quarter and kept the Pacers in the hunt alongside Obi Toppin's seven points in the stanza. McConnell's results faded after a solid Game 2 performance against the Thunder, but he bounced back in Game 5 by making plays all over the floor, finishing with postseason highs in points and minutes.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Key minutes in Game 2 victory
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McConnell recorded 10 points (5-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt), two rebounds and four assists over 14 minutes during Friday's 114-109 victory over the Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
McConnell scored double-digits for the second straight game and the fourth time in the past five games. Despite continuing to play a modest role, McConnell's contributions have been significant in the context of the series. The Pacers have the ability to run a deeper rotation than the Knicks, of which McConnell is a valuable piece. Indiana will now head home for games 3 and 4, with an opportunity to wrap up the series with two more victories.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Flirts with double-double in win
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McConnell chipped in 13 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, eight assists and one steal in 18 minutes during Sunday's 129-109 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
McConnell turned in a vintage performance, falling just two assists short of a double-double. Even though Tyrese Haliburton was struggling, Indiana cruised to victory, thanks in part to the guard play of McConnell. Although his numbers don't always reflect his effort, McConnell continues to play a key role off the bench, something he will look to continue Tuesday in Game 5.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Impressive in 17 minutes
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McConnell recorded 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-4 FT), three rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes during Tuesday's 119-118 overtime victory over Milwaukee in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Despite seeing just 17 minutes, McConnell had his best game of the playoffs when it mattered the most. Through five games, he's averaging 10.0 points on 55.0 percent shooting with 4.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 17.6 minutes. It's likely that he maintains a similar role against the Cavaliers in the next round, however, as Andrew Nembhard is also having a terrific postseason.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Makes most of minutes
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McConnell closed with six points (3-8 FG), five rebounds, four assists and two steals across 16 minutes during Tuesday's 123-115 win over the Bucks in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
McConnell, who has been used sparingly behind Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard so far, has certainly made the most of his limited run. Through two games against the Bucks, the veteran guard is averaging 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals in just 15.5 minutes per contest.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Returns to bench
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McConnell won't start Sunday's game against the Cavaliers.
With the Pacers resting their regulars, McConnell drew a spot start Friday against the Magic and posted 12 points, three assists, one steal and one block in 21 minutes. Andrew Nembhard will start at point guard Sunday, but with Tyrese Haliburton (back) sidelined, McConnell may see increased minutes off the bench.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Moving to starting role Friday
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McConnell is in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Magic.
The Pacers are resting their usual starters, so McConnell has been bumped to the first unit and will operate as the floor general. The veteran is averaging 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 0.8 steals per game since the All-Star break. This will be his first start of the 2024-25 season.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Pops for 12 points in win
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McConnell notched 12 points (6-7 FG), four rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal in 19 minutes during Friday's 140-112 victory over the Jazz.
McConnell reached double-digits for just the third time in the past 10 games, continuing what has been a somewhat disappointing season. With Tyrese Haliburton putting together another All-Star caliber season, McConnell has found meaningful minutes hard to come by. Across 74 games, he is averaging 9.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 17.9 minutes per contest.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Comes close to triple-double
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McConnell ended with 10 points (5-7 FG), nine rebounds and eight assists over 17 minutes during Thursday's 162-109 victory over Washington.
McConnell was limited to only 17 minutes in what turned out to be one of the biggest blowout wins of the 2024-25 NBA season, but the veteran floor general found a way to stuff the stat sheet admirably. McConnell ended just one rebound and two assists away from recording what would've been his first triple-double of the season. McConnell remains a reliable contributor for the Pacers as the floor general of the second unit, but that role limits his fantasy upside considerably.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Checks back in Monday
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McConnell (ankle) returned to Monday's game against the Timberwolves with 2:57 remaining in the third quarter, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
McConnell exited to the locker room in the second quarter after tweaking his right ankle. However, the veteran point guard has since returned, and there's no indication that he'll face any limitations the rest of the way.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Exits to locker room Monday
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McConnell exited to the locker room after sustaining an apparent right ankle injury during the second quarter of Monday's game against the Timberwolves, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
McConnell appeared to tweak his right ankle and limped to the bench before heading to the locker room. If the veteran point guard is unable to return against Minnesota, Ben Sheppard and Bennedict Mathurin are candidates for a bump in minutes the rest of the way.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Records eight assists
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McConnell supplied three points (1-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt), two rebounds and eight assists across 16 minutes during Wednesday's 135-131 victory over the Mavericks.
Despite another limited workload, as usual, McConnell racked up some dimes in a hurry. He's been well outside the top 200 of nine-category formats over his last 10 games, averaging 6.6 points, 4.6 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.0 turnovers in 16.6 minutes.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Logs game-high four swipes
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McConnell recorded 12 points (6-9 FG), seven assists, four steals, two rebounds and one block across 21 minutes during Tuesday's 115-114 win over the Bucks.
McConnell produced an extremely efficient outing Tuesday, leading the second unit in assists and steals in the win. The veteran point guard racked up a game-high four steals, marking his 18th outing with multiple swipes across 61 regular-season appearances. McConnell recorded nine total minutes over his last two outings while nursing a right ankle sprain, though he played 21 minutes Tuesday, which bodes well for his availability moving forward.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Good to go Tuesday
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McConnell (ankle) is available for Tuesday's game against the Bucks, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
During Saturday's loss to the Hawks, McConnell sustained a right ankle sprain, during which he played less than one minute. The veteran point guard injured the same ankle in February and missed two outings, though he has yet to miss time due to the new ankle sprain. McConnell was able to suit up in Monday's loss to Chicago, racking up six points and an assist across only nine minutes.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Questionable for Tuesday
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McConnell is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Bucks with a right ankle sprain.
McConnell was able to play through this same injury Monday against the Bulls but saw just nine minutes with six points and one assist. If he's unable to go, guys like Ben Sheppard and Quenton Jackson could pick up a handful of minutes, but that also hinges on the availability of Tyrese Haliburton (hip), who is currently listed as questionable.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Set to play Monday
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McConnell (ankle) has been cleared to play Monday night against the Bulls.
The Pacers slapped a questionable tag on McConnell leading up to Monday's matchup due to a right ankle issue, but it won't force him to miss Monday's game. He's averaging 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals over his last five appearances.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Iffy for Monday
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McConnell (ankle) is questionable for Monday's game against the Bulls.
McConnell suffered a sprained right ankle during Saturday's game against the Hawks and is uncertain to play Monday. It is worth noting that McConnell suffered a sprain to the same ankle in February, which forced him to miss two games. If he is unable to go, Andrew Nembhard figures to see a very significant role, especially if Tyrese Haliburton (hip) is also ruled out.
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Pacers' T.J. McConnell: Won't return Saturday
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McConnell has been ruled out for the rest of Saturday's game against the Hawks due to a right ankle sprain.
McConnell played less than a minute before going down in the first quarter with an injury to the same ankle that he hurt in February, resulting in him missing two games. He will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury, but McConnell is in jeopardy of missing Monday's game against the Bulls. Quenton Jackson could serve as the primary backup at point guard to Andrew Nembhard with McConnell done for the night and with Tyrese Haliburton (hip) already ruled out in advance of the contest.
