Thursday 1 August 2019 07:06, UK
After signing with the Indiana Pacers in free agency, point guard TJ McConnell believes his new team will contend at the top of the Eastern Conference in the 2019-20 season.
McConnell spent his first four NBA seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers but agreed a two-year, $7m deal with the Pacers on July 3. The Pacers officially announced the deal on Monday.
After officially signing with his new team, the 27-year-old McConnell was asked why he chose to sign with the Pacers.
"I didn't know what to expect in free agency. My agent said there could be a team or two that could come out of leftfield that we hadn't talked about," he said.
"I feel like that's what Indiana did. One night he said 'Indiana are very interested' and I tried to jump on that opportunity. I have a lot of respect for this organisation and I wanted to play here."
McConnell admitted he had a number of suitors during the hectic free agency period, but none as attractive as Indiana.
"The fans love basketball out here," he said. "The culture that they have here, I have a lot of respect for it. The Pacers have great players and I wanted to be part of it.
"There were a few [options], but none with the opportunity like this one [with Indiana]. None that stuck out like this one. I sound like a broken record but I'm just extremely happy and blessed to be here."
McConnell played 314 games for the 76ers, averaging 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals, and played limited minutes in Philadelphia's 2018 and 2019 postseason runs but said he has no regrets leaving the East Coast for the Midwest.
"It's not disappointment," he said. "You stay in a place for four years and you start to really like it but when an opportunity like this comes along, you jump at it and I'm sure I've already fallen in love with the city even after just a couple of days here."
McConnell is likely to be a key bench contributor on a revamped Pacers roster in the 2019-20 season and he is already focused on what will be required of him as Indiana battle the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics for supremacy in the Eastern Conference.
"I feel like everyone knows I bring toughness and I play hard," he said. "I try to get people the ball and do what the coaches ask me to do. I'm not going to be a guy who tries to step out of the box and be something I'm not. That's not who I am and that's not how I play.
"I think we can do some special things. We're very young. You bring in guys like Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, Jeremy Lamb, you've got a good team. The East is pretty good this year but with the pieces we have, we're right there with [the top contenders]."
