Undrafted rookie makes NBA history with assist numbers in first 4 games with 76ers
The Sixers entered training camp knowing that point guards Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten would both be out for at least the first month or two of the season as they recovered from injuries.
That opened the door for a battle at the position, and undrafted rookie T.J. McConnell is the one who's emerged victorious.
McConnell got his first start of the season there on Wednesday against the Bucks, and he delivered with seven points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Combine that with the 12 assists he notched in just 23 minutes off the bench in his previous game, and we have ourselves a little bit of NBA history.
Sixers head coach Brett Brown won't commit to anything long term after just a couple of games, especially with capable distributors in Wroten and Marshall at some point coming back. But he's obviously ben impressed with McConnell thus far.
76ers rookie PG 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
The undrafted rookie point guard was only supposed to contribute off the bench until the team's more established point guards got healthy. But McConnell was elevated to starter on Wednesday, right before a 91-87 setback to the Milwaukee Bucks, and he has given the team plenty to think about.
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Does he keep his starting position? Or will he slide to the third spot once Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten return from rehabilitating right knee injuries?
"The most honest answer I can give is we'll deal with that time when it comes," Sixers coach Brett Brown said Thursday after practice at the Bucks' training center.
"But right now, what you realize is we really tripped on a really good young player," Brown added. "Now, it's early days. But to say that we are not excited from what we've seen so far would be completely not true."
