Late last week, 2025 NBA finalist T.J. McConnell of the Indiana Pacers made an appearance on The Christian Kuntz Podcast, which is hosted by the long snapper who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kuntz and McConnell are reportedly childhood friends, and during the podcast, they spoke about growing up together in Pittsburgh, McConnell’s basketball journey, and Indiana’s championship run this past season.
The conversation took an interesting turn when the Pacers guard was asked about the hardest player he has had to guard in the NBA. Without hesitation, McConnell picked Kyrie Irving and explained the unique challenges of defending the Dallas superstar.
Why Does T.J. McConnell Consider Kyrie Irving the Most Difficult Matchup?
When asked on the podcast about the most challenging guy to guard, McConnell confirmed the question and said, “Who’s the hardest guy that I have had to guard? Kyrie Irving. You’re on an island & you just don’t know what he’s gonna do. You could force him one way, but he still ends up getting the way you don’t want him to go. Just his handle is impeccable.”
“He’s got the greatest handle I’ve seen,” McConnell added. “And he can shoot, really shoot it, like he’s fast. It’s just, it’s a tough place to be mentally when you’re guarding Kyrie.” When asked if Irving was the greatest ball handler in the sport’s history, the Pacers guard said, “There’s the whole era thing, but like the best handle I have played against, easily, Kyrie.”
The numbers back up McConnell’s assessment. According to Land of Basketball, Irving and McConnell have faced off 20 times in the NBA, with Irving’s team emerging victorious on 13 occasions. In these 20 games, Irving averages 23.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. These numbers are remarkably close to his career averages of 23.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 5.6 APG, which indicates how difficult it is to contain the 2016 NBA champion.
However, it’s important to remember that while these statistics give us an idea of the Mavericks guard’s performances in games against McConnell’s team, they don’t necessarily indicate that the Pacers guard was Irving’s primary defender when he scored all these points.
What Makes Irving Nearly Impossible to Stop?
McConnell’s praise for Irving’s ball-handling skills aligns with what other NBA players and analysts have observed. In a feature story published before the 2018-19 NBA season by ESPN’s Chris Forsberg about Irving’s skill with the ball in his hand, ‘Inside Kyrie’s bag of tricks,’ he asked NBA player Brandon Ingram how to stop the guard.
TJ McConnell said that Kyrie is the toughest player he’s had to guard in the NBA:
“You’re on an island & you just don’t know what he’s gonna do… His handle is impeccable. He’s got the greatest handle I’ve seen. It’s a tough place to be mentally”
(🎥 Christian Kuntz Podcast/YT) pic.twitter.com/aCAageevWF
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) July 21, 2025
Forsberg wrote with reference to the 2017-18 NBA season, “Irving shot 55 percent from the field on plays on which he took at least 10 dribbles, best in the NBA among the 31 players with 100 such shots, according to Second Spectrum data. So what can defenses do when Kyrie cranks up the handles? According to Ingram, there might be only one answer. ‘Foul him. Foul him.'”
The Dallas Mavericks guard is recovering from an ACL tear he suffered on March 3 in a game against the Sacramento Kings. In April, NBA Insider Shams Charania reported that he may be back on the court for the Mavs by January 2026. Mavs fans will be hoping that starting in January, they can usher in a Big Three era with Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving.
Meanwhile, McConnell and the Pacers are coming off a run to the NBA Finals, and they will be hoping to continue to compete in the playoffs even though their star, Tyrese Haliburton, will not take to the court next season due to his recovery schedule after a torn Achilles tendon. 33-year-old McConnell is entering the first season of a four-year $44.8 million deal.