Pacers guard T.J. McConnell has found himself playing in a much larger role than was expected coming into the season, as the Pacers have spent much of this season with a shortened guard rotation due to Caris LeVert not being able to play after he was traded to Indiana following a physical that revealed a cancerous mass on his kidney that has since been removed.
In those expanded minutes, McConnell has carved out a niche as one of the league’s premier ball pressure guards, pestering opponents to the tune of 1.7 steals per game, good for fifth in the NBA, and his steal percentage of 38.5 is likewise fifth among qualified players this season. McConnell’s ability to pester guards and create turnovers has been important for the Indiana defense all season, but on Wednesday he took it to another level against the Cavaliers’ young backcourt, setting a new NBA record with nine steals in the first half (shattering his own previous career-high of 6).
🚨 T.J. McConnell sets an NBA RECORD with 9 steals in a half! 🚨
The record for a full game is 11. pic.twitter.com/O0ctYizMmc
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2021
What’s maybe more stunning is that the Pacers had someone with nine first half steals and still managed to give up 61 points to lose the first half by 10, but not for a lack of effort at the point of attack by McConnell. The NBA record for steals in a game is 11, which he is certainly in range for, and it’s possible we see some all-time NBA history made in Cleveland.
