The miserable 76ers found an unlikely hero in T.J. McConnell, who hit a turnaround J over Carmelo Anthony with time expiring for the win.
McConnell, who played his college ball at Arizona and went undrafted in 2015 before signing with the 76ers, secured his place in the annals of NBA lore with arguably the most iconic NBA fist pump of all time. Pure, unadulterated joy:
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day…
Funny how undrafted McConnell, who squeaked his way onto the team after a strong showing in the 2015 NBA Summer League, was the guy to hit the big shot on a roster laden with top 10 picks.
Since 2014, the 76ers have drafted four top 10 picks:
Even with this influx of young talent, it has been anything but smooth sailing in Philadelphia. The team finished 10-72 last year, dead last in the league.
Ben Simmons, the number one overall pick in 2016, has yet to see the floor for the 76ers after breaking a bone in his foot during the team’s final training camp scrimmage.
Maybe it’s time for the NBA to revisit the draft lottery. Under the current system, the team with the worst record in basketball has the highest chance of getting the number 1 overall pick. This incentivizes bad teams to lose as many games as possible, because if you know you’re not making the playoffs, there’s nothing to play for. In fact, you are punished for narrowly missing the playoffs but rewarded for being terrible.
The rule is intended to induce parity in the league, but all it does is make the second half of the season borderline unwatchable for struggling teams.
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