Sixers' T.J. McConnell finally gets a break

When T.J. McConnell took the court a couple of hours before the 76ers' final game this season in Chicago, he walked as gingerly as someone who had run a marathon the day before. He didn't stride so much as he waddled. His jump shot was more of a push shot and getting through his 20-minute, pre-game routine on the floor at United Center seemed a real struggle.

It's no wonder. An 82-game season for any rookie is an eternity. The 81 games McConnell played this season were five more than he played in his junior and senior seasons at Arizona.

A long shot to even make the Sixers' roster going into training camp, the 6-2, 200 pound guard missed just one game this season and averaged 6.1 points and 4.5 assists in his close to 20 minutes of play. Is he a solution to the many puzzle pieces still to be set in this rebuilding process? Not a major one, but keeping him goes way beyond his production on the court.

Though a Pittsburgh native, McConnell is a Philly guy through and through. There wasn't a tougher player in the locker room this season, both mentally and physically. Shorter on talent and bigger at heart probably isn't what the organization envisions as the type of players they'll go after moving forward, but McConnell should return.

His is a voice that is well respected in the locker room. He is equal part stone-breaker, advisor, on-court coach and ally. His rookie status didn't lend to him being a leader, but he was, whether he wanted to be or not. His diving into stands, taking charges and getting on the floor for loose balls earned him a tremendous amount of respect from coaches and teammates. His presence on the team next year, even if his minutes were to be cut in half, would be a major plus.

For now, though, McConnell is recovering. His basketball playing has pretty much been non-stop since his senior year started at Arizona.

"Some days were hard but most of the days we were just happy to be here and come in and work," said McConnell. "I just tried to get better each day, just go out and play as hard as you can and try to get a win. I've been going since my senior year. Right after the season, I did 16 workouts (with NBA teams). I went from the Elite Eight to immediately working out. Then came summer leagues, preseason and then the regular season. It's just been a really long year. I'll take about a month off and then get back to work."

Hopefully, that is here in Philadelphia.