“I’m just trying to be like you!” ». This is how TJ McConnell responded to Tyrese Haliburton when the latter came to congratulate him, facing the camera, during the post-match interview devoted to the X factor of the evening.
Behind Bennedict Mathurin’s 22 points and Tyrese Haliburton’s double-double of 18 points and 14 assists, TJ McConnell also pulled out of the game with a nice double-double of 19 points and 10 assists to sign his best game of the season so far.
The leader of the “second unit” came into play at the end of the first quarter while the Magic led the score. He warmed up with three assists before concluding his passage from a first basket to 3-pointers to increase his team to +6 in the middle of the second half. The Pacers watchdog is very well aware of the importance of being a more constant threat behind the arc for the balance of the team.
“I know I missed a few opportunities in previous games. The staff and my teammates still want me to take these 3-point shots. I just shot with confidence today. I work on it so much. I let a few go because I always think you can get better situations, but the way they were defending me, I just sent, and I have to keep doing it”, he confided.
A healthy player in a healthy group
The absence of Andrew Nembhard also allowed him to stay on the pitch longer (32 minutes, his record this season) and to play more alongside Tyrese Haliburton.
“When you know how important our point guard is, I didn’t think I would play 32 minutes, but I took them, and I’m especially happy with the victory”he added, before paying tribute to his teammate. “What he’s doing is incredible, but we’re not surprised. He is so generous and he is able to score in all areas. I told him the next step was to be named player of the month (since Tyrese Haliburton was voted “Player of the Week”). We are happy to have him with us. He’s really phenomenal.”
A bit like the game of Tyrese Haliburton and TJ McConnell, it is thanks to his altruistic mentality that Indiana achieves this amazing start to the season. After 16 games, they are already at 10 wins!
“We just have a group that wants the next person to succeed. In our locker room, we are all happy for each other. We have the will to progress on both sides of the field. That’s something that can be rare in this league. We are happy to have this cohesion in our locker room.concluded TJ McConnell.
