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Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Pat Connaughton’s two-year, partially guaranteed deal

By Jordan Treske

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 7: Pat Connaughton #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers gets introduced before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 7, 2017 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 7: Pat Connaughton #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers gets introduced before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 7, 2017 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC –  NOVEMBER 25: (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC –  NOVEMBER 25: (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Looking at Connaughton’s playing style

Standing at 6’5″, Connaughton is regularly deployed on the wing, whether that’s as a 2-guard or as a small ball 3.

Offensively, Connaughton’s main responsibilities are to space the floor by setting up shop from beyond the arc as a shooting outlet, previously for dynamic offensive creators like Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. That comes in many forms as Connaughton is suited to capitalize on scoring opportunities as both a catch and shoot option as well as launching shots coming off of screens.

As it relates to acting as a threat darting around screens, Connaughton knocked down 32 of his 60 shooting attempts off screens last year, a mark that ranked him in the 88th percentile of players around the league, per NBA.com/stats.

With that said, Connaughton could certainly improve upon his three-point consistency, seeing that it’s become the feature element in his repertoire after 210 of his 268 career three-point attempts came during last year.

While he’s mainly relied to act as an off ball sharpshooter, Connaughton is capable of putting the ball down on the floor and exploding above the rim by using 44-inch vertical leap to put home some highlight-worthy dunks.

On the topic of his vertical athleticism, Connaughton became fascinated with the art of dunking during his childhood and remarked on how he strived to have that feature in his game to NBC Sports Northwest’s Jason Quick earlier this year:

"“I get it quite a bit,’’ Connaughton said. “It’s something I’ve tried to disprove – that stereotype – since I was a kid. I never wanted to be — for lack of a better term — a slow, white kid who could shoot. I wanted to have athleticism and use it. That’s what drew me to basketball.’’"

Switching sides, Connaughton is a respectable team defender as he possesses ideal physical tools, most notably a 6’8.75″ wingspan, that he uses to his advantage in combination with his high basketball IQ.

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