Philadelphia 76ers: T.J. McConnell’s first career triple-double was special

Not only did the Philadelphia 76ers come through with another key win on Monday, but T.J. McConnell recorded his first career triple-double.

Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers are considered one of the hottest teams in the NBA thanks to four wins in a row, with the latest coming on Monday during a 108-92 victory over the New York Knicks. As usual, it was Ben Simmons (13 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists, and four steals) who carried the Sixers for the most part, but it ended up being T.J. McConnell who stole the show by recording his first career triple-double.

Back towards the end of November, McConnell came just shy of recording a triple-double in a game against the Orlando Magic after the Philadelphia guard finished with 15 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. But thanks to earning 37 minutes of action against New York, McConnell made sure to come through all the way on Monday when facing New York.

Seeing someone like McConnell finish with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists was exciting, but also it should be noted that the former Arizona star didn’t even start the game, making this accomplishment even more impressive. Not to mention, McConnell boosted his statistics even more by recording six steals, making it pretty easy to see why the Sixers were able to come through with the 16-point win.

Dating back to 2015, McConnell has always been considered a favorite among Philadelphia fans since he’s worked his tail off over the years to have a valuable role on this team. And while he’s been known to randomly put together some amazing performances, nothing compares to the one that McConnell put together on Monday against the Knicks, and his teammates couldn’t be happier for him.

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McConnell’s numbers may not always be consistent, but this game was just another example of how dangerous this Philadelphia team can be when he’s on top of his game. Hopefully, McConnell can carry this momentum over into Thursday since Brett Brown and company are going to need all of the help they can get when facing the Miami Heat. After all of the years spent rebuilding, the Sixers have finally worked their way into becoming contenders in the Eastern Conference, and if they can earn one of the top eight seeds a few months from now, this is going to be a fun team to watch, especially with players like McConnell.