T.J. McConnell

The scrappy point guard is coming off of a strong 2020-21 season in which he led the league in total steals (128) and ranked second in steals per game (1.9). That category alone propelled McConnell to the best fantasy campaign of his career, but he also chipped in 6.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 55.9 percent from the field. The one major knock on McConnell is that he doesn't shoot threes -- he's made only 20 over the last two seasons -- but the lack of an outside game preserves his elite field goal percentage -- especially by point guard standards. McConnell could take a slight step back this season if Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert are able to stay healthy. The Pacers also added another NBA-ready guard in Chris Duarte via the draft, so McConnell likely won't reach last season's workload (26.0 per game) on a nightly basis.

McConnell's role as an assist-heavy backup point guard continued in 2019-20, as he occupied a reserve role behind starter Malcolm Brogdon. In his 18.7 minutes per game, McConnell averaged 6.5 points on 51.6 percent shooting, 5.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 combined steals-plus-blocks. The continued knock on his game is a lack of scoring, partially fueled by a next-to-non-existent three-point shot (17 total attempts last season). That said, he's able to retain some value in deep fantasy leagues due to his excellent passing and shooting efficiency -- from the field and from the charity stripe (83.3 free throw percentage). Nothing much is expected to change in 2020-21, so he's probably avoidable in shallow fantasy formats.

Following four productive seasons in Philadelphia, McConnell has taken his talents to Indiana on a two-year contract. After spending 2017-18 as the 76ers' as the primary backup to Ben Simmons at point guard, the arrival of Jimmy Butler as a capable floor leader resulted in McConnell taking a reduced role in 2018-19, and the 19.3 minutes played per game was the lowest mark of the point guard's young career. His production last season, however, was still on par with his career averages, and he did shoot a career-high 52.5 percent from the field. On the Pacers, McConnell's role is up in the air, as he will be competing with fellow point guard Aaron Holiday for the backup spot behind expected starter Malcolm Brogdon. While Holiday has shown some promise and is more familiar with the Pacers' scheme, McConnell is the more experienced player, and one that's racked up valuable playing minutes. Ultimately, as a true backup, McConnell is probably only worth exploring as a fantasy option in deep formats.

With Ben Simmons making his career debut and getting the bulk of his minutes at point guard, McConnell wound up seeing a decreased role in the backcourt in Year 3. He averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals across 22.4 minutes, all of which were slightly smaller numbers than a year prior. McConnell did show some semblance of a three-point stroke with his impressive 43.5 percent clip from deep, though it's worth it to note that he did take just 62 total attempts for the year, which lessens the impact that the number had. Looking ahead to the upcoming campaign, McConnell is likely looking at a similar, if not smaller, role in the backcourt. Both Simmons and J.J. Redick are back and likely to start at the two guard spots, while former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz is expected to play in his first full season after being limited to just 14 games last year. As a result, there's likely less playing time for McConnell overall. If McConnell draws a spot start due to an injury, he'll be someone to consider for DFS purposes, but otherwise, he can be safely avoided in most leagues.

For two seasons in a row, the once undrafted McConnell survived a camp where he might have been cut, and then worked his way into a significant role in the rotation. As a rookie, he averaged 19.8 minutes, 6.1 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals. As a sophomore, he increased those totals to 26.3 minutes, 6.9 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.7 steals. He missed only one game each season. McConnell has established himself as a trustworthy backup, and should have no difficulty making the 2017-18 roster, but he’ll face a whole new challenge this year. After the 76ers drafted Markelle Fultz first overall this summer, and with the pending healthy return of veteran Jerryd Bayless and 2016 first overall pick Ben Simmons – who the 76ers have said they want to use as a part-time point guard – McConnell faces the deepest and most talented depth chart he’s seen in his career. If everyone stays healthy above him, he has almost no chance of repeating even his rookie season usage.

As an undrafted rookie out of Arizona, McConnell defied the odds to break camp with the 76ers, opening the season as the team’s No. 2 point guard. He would end up holding down that role all season thanks to his defensive toughness and abilities as a distributor. McConnell finished with averages of 6.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals across 19.8 minutes per game in his 81 appearances, with his steal total ranking first among all rookies. Though McConnell’s contract isn’t guaranteed for the upcoming season, he proved himself to be a capable reserve in his first year in the league and looks like a lock to make the roster. Though he’ll again open the season as the top backup point guard, this time behind offseason pickup Jerryd Bayless, McConnell could see his overall responsibilities diminish in 2016-17. Along with acquiring Bayless, the 76ers bolstered their roster through the draft with No. 1 overall choice Ben Simmons, who will see most of his time at power forward but is advanced as a ball-handler and passer and could run the offense for extended stretches.