During a very busy off-season for the Philadelphia 76ers, former Wildcat T.J. McConnell appears to be the front-runner in the locker room for a mentor role.

What an offseason it has been for the 76ers, first drafting Markelle Fultz back on June 22nd, and recently signing JJ Reddick to a $23 million deal. After all the moves that the team made over the past few weeks, one would think that T.J. McConnell would be hurting, knowing that he will have a far less significant role for the upcoming season.

Yesterday, sports writer Keith Pompey of PhillyDailyNews.com, reported that McConnell will not be playing with the Summer League team as an “Unofficial mentor”, and traveled to Orlando and then Las Vegas to help mentor the young players.

“I kind of know how it felt like for me and other guys being your first summer league,” he [McConnell] said. “I just want to be here if they have any questions for me. I’m just trying to be here for support for them and any questions they have.”

This would not be the first time that McConnell will have an impact on young guys.

After Arizona’s 2015 Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson had some kind words for TJ.

“What do you say to a person who has given their all to a program? Not just to the program, but everybody in the locker room”

Coming from an 18-year-old Johnson those are words that show McConnell had a strong impact on the making of a young man.

When T.J. McConnell first came into the league, he made it strictly as a bench spark plug. He started only 17 games in his rookie season. That number jumped to 51 last season. It’s very tough to say he would have started any games had Ben Simmons and Jerryd Bayless not been hurt for practically the entire season. After a year of averaging close to seven ppg, and seven apg, McConnell’s numbers may level off, or even go lower. As his on the court impact goes down, his off the court impact will go up.

What do you think of T.J. McConnell mentoring the young guys during Summer League? Should he still have a featured role on the 76ers? We think so! Let us know in the comments below. BEAR DOWN.