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Cam Johnson gives TJ McConnell ‘wicked’ praise
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- Cam Johnson gives TJ McConnell ‘wicked’ praise
The post Cam Johnson gives TJ McConnell 'wicked' praise appeared first on ClutchPoints .
During the Indiana Pacers ' run to the NBA Finals during the 2024-25 season, one of the team's unsung hero's was backup point guard TJ McConnell . McConnell was one of the Pacers' most consistent players throughout the postseason, and he tried his best to lead a comeback during Game 7 of the Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder . During a recent episode of 'The Young Man & the Three,' new Denver Nuggets guard Cam Johnson gave his recollection of watching a younger McConnell back in high school.
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" TJ McConnell in high school was wicked. His senior year in high school was when I was in eighth grade. . .My older brother played against TJ for three years. . .they played each other plenty of times," Cam Johnson recalled. "TJ's teams were hard to beat, they were nice. . .TJ was an elite scorer. His senior year I think he averaged 37. I'm talking about he's pulling up from half court. And his shot looked different back then, it was lower."
"Wherever he got the ball, he was probably shooting it. And he had the same craftiness to his game, it's like he was a crazy three-point shooter," Johnson continued. "The TJ McConnell that we know in the NBA, it's amazing that he has tailored his game to be such an efficient and effective NBA player. But the TJ McConnell in high school was just different."
Johnson's recollection speaks to a lot of NBA players' experiences in that the majority of them were often the top player on their high school teams. Once they get to the NBA, they have to fit into a role and somewhat change they way they've always played to fit into a system.
McConnell has done that to perfection. He's never going to be confused for a star, but he's effective and efficient as Johnson said. He knows his role and he plays it to perfection.
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This past season, McConnell appeared in 79 games for the Pacers, including one start, at a little over 17 minutes per game. He averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 51.9 percent shooting from the field, 30.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 74 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
