Indiana Pacers’ T.J. McConnell is LeBron James’ “favorite player in the NBA right now” but who is he?

It’s not every day that LeBron James endorses your game and even more so goes on to call you his favourite player. Yet, that’s exactly what happened with the Pacers’ impact player. With the team firing on all cylinders and the star guard a central part of the success, it’s not hard to see why.

LeBron James likes T.J. McConnell a lot

An interesting moment occurred during this week’s episode of LeBron James’ new podcast, ‘Mind the Game’. It was actually at the very start of the show when the Lakers star spoke about Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell. The NBA’s All-Time leading scorer gushed about the Pacers player while speaking with former NBA player JJ Redick. “One of my favorite players in the NBA right now is T.J. McConnell,” James said as he opened the episode. “T.J. McConnell...he’s like Draymond [Green] as a point guard.” Interestingly, Redick, who enjoyed a 15-year career in the NBA, was in total agreement with James as he spoke to McConnel’s impact. “There’s certain guys, they check into the game and it changes the flow of the game,” Redick said of the Pacers guard. “Payton Pritchard is like that. Ish Smith is like that.”

Of course, as high as the praise is, one has to acknowledge that McConnell has done a whole lot to be worth it. At present the 32-year-old is in the middle of the best offensive stretch of his career so far. On an average of 14.3 points and five assists in his last 19 games, McConnell been shooting on 57.7% from the field which is to say incredibly. Incidentally, he actually played against James on two occasions during that span of games. The first of those contests was played in LA where McConnell scored 17 points on 8/15 shooting to go with seven assists. Though the Pacers did lose that game, it’s worth noting that they outscored the Lakers by seven during McConnell’s minutes. In the second game - a home win for the Pacers - McConnell was once again a key contributor with 16 points on 11 shot attempts to go with three assists. Quite frankly, McConnell has played well against every team he has faced, but it’s clear that his two meetings with the Lakers had an impact on James.

T.J. McConnell shows humility in the face of praise

As mentioned above, it’s not every day that a legend calls you by name, which is something that McConnell acknowledged, while also highlighting his team’s efforts as a whole. “I saw it. Obviously very humbling,” he said of James’ comments following Thursday’s practice session. “Him noticing what we’re doing here. All of it wouldn’t be possible without my teammates.” Now, while that is surely the case, it’s got to be said that the Pacers would be in a very different place were it not for MCConnell’s performances since the All-Star break.

The way in which he has filled the void left by Bennedict Mathurin’s injury has been absolutely essential to Indiana’s cause. If there is a word to describe him, it would be ‘versatile’ as he has demonstrated an ability to both lead the second team and play among the stars. “I’m just letting the game come to me and I’m finding lanes to get to the basket, get to my spots,” McConnell said of his teammates trusting him recently. Indeed, that was made very clear in the opinion given by Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton who pointed out not just McConnell’s production but leadership qualities as well.

“That’s pretty cool. It’s hard not to love T.J.’s game, especially the last couple of months, what he’s been doing. He’s been amazing,” Haliburton said of James and Redick’s comments. “He’s one of, if not the, best backup point guards in the league. I’m very thankful to have that on my off nights, thankful to have a guy I can play alongside off the bench as well.” For context, the Pacers have a +17.6 net rating when both McConnell and Haliburton are on the floor. Up next for Indiana? A date with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night with the small matter of a spot in the NBA Playoffs at stake.