Once Jahlil Okafor landed in the lap of the Philadelphia 76ers on NBA Draft night, the focus for Sixers fans was on the backcourt. Okafor was the best and safest pick GM Sam Hinkie could have made.

Still, there were a good many Sixers fans who felt that a potentially great guard in D’Angelo Russell got away in the pick immediately before theirs. For a time, they wondered who would play in the backcourt. Hinkie went into action, got Nik Stauskas in a trade, and addressed another need when he signed former Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell to a free agent contract.

In his two Utah summer league games so far, McConnell has shown he is just the kind of player the Sixers have been looking for since trading away former NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. In fact, McConnell might be a better ball handler and shooter than MCW, and probably understands the position of point guard better. He does not hog the ball and is quick to find the Sixer big men in transition. The Sixers want to run the floor with 7-footers Okafor, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid and that’s precisely the style of play McConnell was used to at Arizona.

In his first game, on Monday night, McConnell had six points, seven rebounds, four assists, a pair of steals and a block in 30 minutes. He played well on defense and did not look overmatched.

On a Sixers’ team whose best point guard a year ago was a journeyman named Ish Smith, McConnell should have no trouble forcing his way into being an effective point guard and maybe even a starter. If that happens, Hinkie will be ahead of the game once again.

Mike Gibson is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.