2025-26 Season
T.J. MCCONNELL
2025-26 Season
T.J. MCCONNELL
PBP Credit: Every play is analyzed from play-by-play data. Scorers get difficulty-adjusted credit, assisters get creation value based on the shot opportunity they created, and turnovers are classified by type. Shot difficulty is derived from 1M+ shots across 4 seasons. Full methodology
TEAM COMPARISON
of 21 teammates (10+ games, 10+ min)
Similar Players
Same position, closest production profile this season.
SKILL DNA
Percentile rank vs 245 Guards with 10+ games
THE SEASON SO FAR
T.J. McConnell spent the first twenty games of the 2025-26 season operating as an absolute wrecking ball off the bench, dictating tempo with a chaotic yet highly efficient brand of basketball. His peak arrived on 12/20 vs NOP, where he carved up the opposing backcourt with surgical mid-range execution to post a massive +16.6 impact score alongside 16 points and 8 assists in just 18 minutes. Points weren't always required for the veteran guard to tilt the floor. On 11/29 vs CHI, he scored just 8 points but generated a strong +6.0 impact score because his menacing full-court pressure and +3.0 hustle metric completely disrupted the opponent's offensive initiation. But his aggressive driving style carried inherent risks. During a rough outing on 12/08 vs SAC, uncharacteristic struggles finishing in the paint led to an ugly 2-for-9 shooting night, dragging his impact down to a dismal -8.8. When his push-shots fell, however, McConnell transformed into an elite backup floor general who completely hijacked the rhythm of the game.
Relentless pace manipulation and suffocating backcourt harassment defined this middle stretch of the season for T.J. McConnell. He operated as a one-man tempo controller off the bench, peaking brilliantly on 01/08 vs CHA. In that contest, aggressive downhill drives and stifling defense fueled a massive +16.3 impact score alongside his 23 points and 8 assists. Even when his shot volume dipped, McConnell found ways to tilt the floor. During the 02/06 vs MIL matchup, he scored just 8 points but still posted a stellar +7.5 impact because his surgical interior passing completely dismantled the defense without requiring a heavy scoring burden. However, his aggressive style occasionally backfired when his defensive execution slipped. On 01/04 vs ORL, he tallied a respectable 10 points and 5 assists, but a stark inability to contain ball-handlers at the point of attack resulted in a costly -3.6 impact score. Ultimately, his value hinged entirely on whether his frenetic energy generated backcourt chaos or yielded easy penetration for the opponent.
IMPACT TIMELINE
Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.
Boom-or-bust player. McConnell's impact swings wildly relative to his average — some nights dominant, others invisible. Scoring varies by ~5 points per game.
Middle-of-the-road efficiency — shoots 45%+ from the field in 68% of games. Not automatic, but not a problem either.
Good defender on his best nights, but it comes and goes. Some games McConnell locks in defensively, others he gets picked apart.
Performance has dropped off. First-half impact: +1.8, second-half: -1.7. Worth watching whether it's fatigue, injury, or opponents adjusting.
Tends to go on runs. Longest hot streak: 6 games. Longest cold streak: 5 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Based on 62 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.
ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM
His shooting stats against each primary defender this season
ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED
How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.
SEASON STATS
GAME LOG
56 games played
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