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T.J. McConnell breaks down what it means to be a role player in the NBA with limited opportunity: "The guys that stay the longest adapt to change and know their role the best"
T.J. McConnell breaks down what it means to be a role player in the NBA with limited opportunity: "The guys that stay the longest adapt to change and know their role the best" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Every young hooper dreams of dropping 30 under the bright lights of the NBA. And it makes sense. That's what grabs headlines, that's what fills highlight reels, and more often than not, that's what gets you paid. But there are parts of the game that don't show up in the box score, and as much as people love to talk about buckets, those little things often end up making the biggest difference.
No one understands that better than T.J. McConnell, the 6'1" guard who's been playing bigger than his height his entire career and just helped his team reach the NBA Finals.
McConnell knows exactly who he is, and more importantly, who he is not. He doesn't go around chucking shots; rather, he picks his spots on the floor and tries to impact winning in more ways.
"I feel that's something you got to be self-aware with," T.J. said when asked about players adapting to different levels of competition. "And I obviously knew, not only going from high school to the NBA, but just high school, I had to shed the type of player that I was, because, unless you are a five-star recruit, you are not going to do that type of stuff."
"It's something you have to come to terms with, and put your ego aside. I kinda just try to do that and in terms of the NBA, knowing your role… The guys that stay the longest adapt to change and know their role the best," one of the key components to the Indiana Pacers' finals run added.
McConnell was putting up numbers in HS
Back in high school, believe it or not, McConnell was one of those guys who could light it up from anywhere on the court. In his senior year at Chartiers Valley High School, T.J. averaged 34.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game and was named the Associated Press's Pennsylvania Class 3A Player of the Year. Quite impressive for someone who averaged "just" 9.1 points and 4.4 assists per game this campaign.
Modest numbers on paper, but anyone who watched the Pacers' run to the Finals knows how big his role actually was. Every time Indiana needed a spark, every time they needed someone to dive on the floor or get to the paint for a bucket (yes, he did it quite often), it was McConnell who got called 2025 Finals were the "battle of role players"
If the 2025 Finals taught us anything, it's that having a superstar helps, but having a bench full of guys who know exactly who they are is what wins you games in June. The Thunder had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league MVP and the guy who could shift momentum with a single possession. But more often than not, it wasn't just him doing the heavy lifting; it was the supporting cast who were ready to do the job the right way.
The same thing goes for Rick Carlisle's squad. Indiana didn't have a traditional superstar, not in the way the media usually defines it. But they had multiple guys who could answer the call when it mattered most. Tyrese Haliburton ran the show for the most part, Pascal Siakam brought playoff experience and length, Aaron Nesmith played bigger than his size all series long and Andrew Nembhard kept hitting timely shots like he had been there before.
And then there was McConnell, a guy who averaged close to 35 in HS, diving for loose balls, turning defense into offense and making the plays that shift the energy in a building everyone could feed off.
So, for every hooper dreaming of dropping 30-point triple-doubles, this should serve as a wake-up call.
"Do your thing," but don't forget to adapt when the game requires you to do so. It might sound like a cliche from a basketball movie, but in a league filled with talented superstars, the "others" who stick around are those who embrace their job and find a way to thrive in it. Just like McConnell story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
