TJ McConnell Praises Pacers for Not Hitting 'Panic Button' During Early Adversity

Indiana's 2024-25 season has turned around of late.

Dec 23, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers' erratic 2024-25 season has turned around of late.

Following a patchy 11-15 season start, Indiana went on an exhilarating five-game win streak, which only came to an end on Thursday, when the Western Conference's No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder rode a 45-point Shai Gilgeous-Alexander outburst to beat Indiana by two possessions late, in a 120-114 comeback win. Oklahoma City improved to a 24-5 record on the year. On Friday, the 15-16 Pacers will hope to get back into the winners' circle against the 22-8 Boston Celtics, currently on a two-game losing skid.

Following their fourth of five straight recent victories, on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings, Pacers reserve point guard T.J. McConnell praised his teammates and coaches for maintaining their cool even as the club's season at one point looked pretty dire, writes The Indianapolis Star's Dustin Dopirak.

“I really like how everyone in here didn’t hit the panic button while everyone else was,” McConnell observed. “I feel like people don’t realize last year, at one point we were 14-14. Long season. Obviously, we didn’t start the way we wanted to. We went on a couple losing streaks, but we’re well coached. That’s kept us together and we have a really together group. Everyone is for everyone in here. In the NBA, that’s all you can ask for.”

Dopirak writes that McConnell and multiple other Pacers players felt that the extended injury absences of starting wings Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, as well as reserve shooting guard Ben Sheppard, served as major impediments to the team's early season success. Nesmith remains on the shelf with an ankle ailment. He has not played since a 125-118 loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans on November 1. Across just six healthy games this year, the 6-foot-5 Vanderbilt product is averaging 9.2 points on .528/.545/.846 shooting splits, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.7 steals a night.

Sixth man wing Bennedict Mathurin has been starting for Nesmith. He scored 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field (2-of-5 from long range) and 6-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe against Oklahoma City, while chipping in six rebounds, three assists and a block. All-Defensive power forward Pascal Siakam and starting center Myles Turner both logged double-doubles, with Siakam notching 22 points and 10 rebounds and Turner scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 boards. Nembhard led all Pacers with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line. McConnell chipped in 13 points off the bench. All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton's scoring woes continue. He had just four points on 2-of-6 shooting from the floor.

It's looking increasingly likely that, if anyone from Indiana is to make the All-Star team this year, it's going to be Siakam.

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