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Milwaukee Bucks: Consistency remains key for Pat Connaughton

By Jordan Treske

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 17: Pat Connaughton #24 and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrates during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Detroit Pistons on April 17, 2019 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 17: Pat Connaughton #24 and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrates during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Detroit Pistons on April 17, 2019 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Pat Connaughton has found a home with the Milwaukee Bucks after arriving last summer, but honing his consistency on both ends will be crucial to extending his stint with the title contenders beyond next season.

In the great reshuffling summer the Milwaukee Bucks went through last offseason, a few key additions proved to be crucial in brightening the team’s future in what felt like one fell swoop.

Between the headlining moves such as the hiring of Mike Budenholzer as well as the bargain pick up of a starting big man in Brook Lopez, the Bucks changed their outlook both in the immediate and what proved to be the long-term future at the top end of their team.

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Further down the line, though, the Bucks fortified their depth with the homecoming of Ersan Ilyasova, as well as taking a flier on Pat Connaughton.

It was Connaughton who came to Milwaukee with very low expectations after his three-year stint with the Portland Trail Blazers ended unceremoniously ahead of the start of last year’s free agency after they rescinded his qualifying offer to make him an unrestricted free agent.

What proved to be the Blazers’ loss was the Bucks’ gain and Connaughton went from a depth rotation piece to getting valuable playoff minutes with the Bucks by season’s end last year.

Connaughton’s blend of three-point shooting, high-level two-way athleticism and high basketball IQ were of great use to Budenholzer and co. within a crowded wing rotation. Connaughton finished the year averaging 6.9 points on .466/.330/.725 shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists across 20.7 minutes per contest over his 61 regular season appearances (Connaughton averaged 6.2 points on .481/.357/.500 shooting splits, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 blocks over 21.6 minutes in his 15 playoff games).

Needless to say, that’s not a bad return from a player the Bucks inked to a two-year, partially guaranteed deal worth $3.3 million and the front office made the no-brainer decision to guarantee the second-year salary of Connaughton’s contract earlier this summer.

Of course, that means Connaughton will be hitting the free agent market next summer and it’s certainly a big one for both he and the Bucks, even without knowing the outcome of the upcoming 2019-20 campaign. It’s certainly possible to see the 26-year-old garner a big pay rise and that very could well be from the Bucks.

But for Connaughton to secure his long-term future in the NBA and with the Bucks, maintaining the foundation he laid down in his first season in Milwaukee last year will be critical.

For all of the improvements he made under the watchful eye of the Bucks’ developmental staff last season, Connaughton still has to prove that he’s consistent a three-point threat in order to become a true 3-and-D wing within the Bucks’ let it fly system.

All Bucks fans saw the Notre Dame alum endure a nasty, cold three-point shooting spell midway through the year, which saw him fall out of the team’s rotation for stretches (Connaughton shot as low as 3-for-21 from three, good for 14.3 percent, in his six appearances over the month of December).

Positive regression would eventually come for Connaughton to finish out the regular season and going into the playoffs, but those highs and lows from beyond the arc simply can’t be as pronounced as they have been for much of his career to this point.

Connaughton’s work on the defensive end isn’t something to overlook and how it impacted the Bucks in a variety of ways last season. That definitely speaks to his versatility and his ability to thrive at the times Budenholzer and his staff deployed a switching defensive scheme, which proved to be equally effective as their conservative scheme. And Connaughton’s penchant for fighting through screens and leaping for rear contests and blocks has been a regular feature in how he’s been able to disrupt opposing offenses to force turnovers and so on.

The Bucks’ fast turnaround wouldn’t have come about without rebuilding the culture under Budenholzer, and Connaughton has certainly been a leading voice in helping construct that over his short time in the Cream City.

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A lot of work has already gone into Connaughton becoming a solid depth piece on a title contending team like the Bucks have become. But more strides will have to be made in order to maintain the footing he has within the Bucks’ roster and the NBA as a whole.

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