Heading into Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a number of players high up on their scouting report.

Tyrese Haliburton? Yup, any evaluation of the Thunder has to begin with the former Sacramento Kings draftee. Pascal Siakam? Sure thing, he won Eastern Conference Finals MVP for a reason and remains one of the best forwards left in the playoffs. Goodness, even Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nemhard deserve some extra evaluation for their efforts up to this point, but T.J. McConnell, the all-heart backup point guard who is averaging 16.4 minutes of action a night over the course of the 2025 NBA Playoffs? Needless to say, he likely didn't take up much time on the game film.

Well, after Game 3, it's safe to say that's about to change, as his five steals played a massive difference in the game's 116-107 final score.

Discussing how McConnell was able to pick off inbound passes like he was the intended target, Mark Daigneault admitted that the backup guard gave his team a tough time and set off a chain of events that the Thunder couldn't overcome.

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“Those turnovers, how much do you think that snowballed? I mean, those were big plays, obviously. But in terms of inexcusable, I mean, everybody's out there competing and trying, and I'm not gonna place blame on those plays. I just thought their overall tone was better than ours for the majority of the game,” Daigneault explained.

“Like I said, I thought we had some really good stretches, but we just made one too many mistakes. And had one too many possessions on both ends of the floor, where they were more tied to their identity than we were. But obviously, those are costly plays.”

While McConnell only played five minutes for the Pacers in the fourth quarter and 15 overall – good for the ninth most of any Indiana player – his impact on the final score was far greater than what anyone, even Rick Carlisle, expected on the final contest. With Game 4 set to come on Friday, it will be incredibly interesting to see what kind of role McConnell will play for the Pacers and how well the Thunder are ready for him when his number gets called.