“23” and “4.”

These are two numbers that Brett Brown said he would “take every game, every year, for the rest of your life if you’re a head coach.”

The digits represent the total number of assists and turnovers, respectively, that Ish Smith and T.J. McConnell combined to produce in Monday’s double-overtime loss to the New York Knicks. Smith set a career-high with 16 assists that afternoon. McConnell, meanwhile, left Madison Square Garden without committing a single giveaway.

While that isolated, single-game “23” and “4” stat is not all-encompassing, it does point to a bigger, developing trend that can, in part, explain the Sixers’ competitive showings in recent weeks. Improved point guard play, and the relationship that’s developed between Smith and McConnell, have made the Sixers better.

“Very, very solid,” said Brett Brown in Orlando, as he discussed the state of the position on his roster. “You’ve heard me talk since the program hired me about pace and pressure. We want to run and we want to guard. Those two help deliver the first part on offense. We play with pace. And lately, it’s come with high assist and low turnover ratios.”

Smith and McConnell’s teammates have also taken notice.

“I think they run the team so well when they’re out there, barely ever making mistakes,” Nerlens Noel said. Since Smith’s arrival, 33 of Noel’s 46 assisted field goals have come either from Smith, or McConnell. “When the time is right, they push the tempo. When we need to slow it down, they do exactly that, so I think it is a strength for this team.”

It’s no secret that the Sixers acquired Smith on Christmas Eve to bolster and stabilize the one-guard spot. That the Sixers have subsequently received a spike in results at point guard, therefore, shouldn’t come as a total shock. Less expected, however, is that McConnell, the undrafted rookie, has produced and developed to the extent that he has.

“He’s just taken an opportunity, and grabbed it by the throat, and never let it go,” said Brown of the Arizona product, who - as of Wednesday - topped all first-year players with 212 assists. Emmanuel Mudiay, hurt in recent weeks, is next behind him with 159 helpers. D’Angelo Russell has 140. Both were lottery picks in the NBA Draft this past June.

“If there’s anything that we are, is a land of opportunity for the Philadelphia 76ers,” continued Brown. “And he grabbed a very rare and unique opportunity: NBA minutes, NBA court time. And, he just hasn’t let it go. I just respect his toughness and his perseverance and his mind, and lately, his skill. He’s getting better all over the place, and I think he’s starting to step in and shoot three-point shots more comfortably as well.”

McConnell’s 48.3 field goal percentage ranks second among first-year guards only to that of Phoenix’s Devin Booker. McConnell, however, holds the best two-point field goal shooting percentage in this year’s rookie class. He credits Smith for providing a strong leadership presence, and making him feel at ease.

“I think Ish has done a tremendous job since he’s gotten here,” McConnell said. “I’m just continuing to learn from him. I think in the beginning of the year, point guard, it was good, but Ish has taken it to another level where I can learn from him. When I go in there, I just try not to let our team skip a beat, because he does so well. He’s been great.”

In the 12 games that they’ve been together on the Sixers’ roster, McConnell has actually been manufacturing assists at a higher rate than Smith, who’s been “proud” to see the progress McConnell has made in such a brief period of time.

“What T.J.’s doing out on the floor is really, really impressive,” said Smith. Coincidentally, he trained with McConnell and Kendall Marshall, the Sixers’ third point guard, this summer. “It’s funny because he’s got this awkward game when he gets around the rim. It’s fun to watch. It’s kind of Steve Nash-ish, where, you know, wrong foot, finishes, runners, and stuff like that. He’s been playing really good basketball since I’ve been here.”

The 23-year old McConnell is the only player to appear in all 43 of the Sixers’ games this season. With 39 contests remaining on the schedule, his goals are to continue using Smith as a resource, and try to meet a challenge that the six-year veteran has set for him.



“Just the pace that he plays at, and how calm his is, no matter how the game’s going. I’ve tried to kind of mimic how calm he is, whether something’s going good, or something’s going bad,” McConnell said. “He kind of told me, we’re going to have a rule throughout the season, you have to stay even-keeled throughout the whole thing. It’s been tremendous having him around.”

As much as McConnell has benefited from Smith, the Sixers look to keep reaping the rewards that both have offered. With a seasoned pro like Marshall “in the bullpen,” as Brown put it, the Sixers - just past the midway point - have suddenly found themselves boasting depth at a vital area of a roster.