TJ McConnell is the Sixers best player, it's true. Sure, we are the world's biggest Embiid and Simmons fans, probably the best two guys drafted in the last 5 drafts, in the conversation with Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony. But these guys are younger larger talents who haven't quite figured out how to be efficient at the NBA level yet and yet are still fantastic NBA players in their rookie seasons (Embiid has still prolly played less minutes in 4 years of being a 76ers than Towns played in his rookie season-- so sorry JoJo but you a rook and that's a complement). Embiid has barely played the game of basketball (he's probably STILL got more hours on a soccer field than a bball court) compared to all his peers and likely needs to spend the entire offseason with Charles Barkley learning how to big-boy dribble. Simmons is greatness in raw form, just an unbelievable player for the modern game, a jumpshot away from being the GOAT. But right now, in 2018, all things being equal, TJ McConnell plays perfect WINNING basketball right down the the second, everytime he's on the court, and it shows every time his moronic organization gives him minutes-- it shows in the win column. Let's go thru the Sixers since the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
Using Eagles as inspiration, the Sixers decided for 7.75 games to look like the best team in the East....
Here's all the games since the all-star break, including the Sixers 7-game win streak, listing the minutes played by TJ McConnell as well as the score differential:
Wash, won by 13: 24 min
Pelicans, won by 18: 24 min
Clippers, won by 14: 26 min, 17 pts, 8 assists
Knicks, won by 16: 37 minutes, triple-double
You'd think maybe that game would be pretty obvious that playing McConnell > 30 minutes is a GOOD thing, but no.
Miami, won by 2: 20 minutes, McConnell demoted for being too good, Sixers NEARLY lose the game.
@Bulls, won by 1: 24 minutes
Magic, won by 11: 31 minutes, more proof, do the Sixers mgt draw the corellation yet?
nope. McConnell demoted again for increasing win-differential too much. 7-game win streak ends when dolty Brett Bwown keeps TJ on the bench, 21 minutes.
@Wash, LOSS by 15: 21 min. Somehow some guy named Marco Bellineli is getting 27 min per game even tho he should have been kicked out of the NBA like 3 years ago. He was on a roster this year bc the team was tanking, so Colangelo being the genius he is snapped him up as soon as he was on waivers and is now giving him starter's minutes.
@Heat, LOSS by 1: 24 min, when grand wizard Bwett Bwown takes him out with 7:59 left in 4th, the Sixers were leading 86-79. Yeah, 1 point loss, Dwayne Wade just ate up his defender. Belinelli stayed in tho until 4:57 and the lead was gone.
@Cleve, won by 11: 19 min (Belinelli 23). Don't get excited, Cleve still trying to figure out whole roster change at this point, started Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood, and Tristan Thompson who've never played together.
Charlotte, won by 11: 21 min. Charlotte's an absolute mess, they just lost to hapless Brooklyn last night and it wasn't close. No idea what's going wrong in THAT organization.
@Milwaukee, LOSS by 8: 22 min. A real team, another loss, Belinelli 24 min.
@Hornets, WIN by 14: 24 min. Prolly bc Hornets stink, they give TJ some extra minutes and voila his extra 3 minutes results in a 6 point gambler's differential (accounting for home win by 11 vs away win by 14 is actually a 6 point differential on nuetral court) vs last Hornets game.
OBVIOUSLY the Suxers mgt is asleep at the wheel again, Bwett Bwown plays TJ 20 minutes in the next game, and voila!
another loss, this time to the Heat, by decisive 9 points. Belinelli somehow gets 30 minutes at -12 plus minus, we guess bc Bwown once again traded defense and good overall play for Belinelli'e "sexy" 3-7 3pt shooting?
Did we mention the brilliant Colangelo traded Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, a draft pick, and Trevor Booker for Ersan Ilyasova? Don't forget he traded Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic (or insert your OWN #2 draft pick in 2018) to the Celtics for Markelle Fultz?
Because Philly is born and bred for confirmation bias, expect the Sixers to somehow get into the playoffs and probably even win a series or two. The Sports God is a wierd dude, he loves to sometimes reward bad behavior, or maybe it's just the LAST GUY set this team up so well, even with the sports world's worst GM they're still able to win? You Decide.