Milwaukee Bucks: The impact of Pat Connaughton

Off-ball movement

While Connaughton has shot nearly two percent below his career average from three-point range so far this season at just 34.2 percent, he has been extremely valuable as a cutter in Milwaukee’s offense.

With more activity expected from players off the ball in Coach Budenholzer’s new offensive scheme, Connaughton has been able to showcase his athleticism finishing at the rim off feeds from his teammates.

Mike Budenholzer spoke to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Connaughton’s offensive contributions:

"“I think (Pat) gives us an energy, the way he cuts and plays off the ball. The shooting stands out, but (also) the way he can get to the basket and finish.”"

Looking at Connaughton’s shot chart for the season, you can observe a steady diet of shots near the basket, despite him doing most of his work off the ball:

According to Basketball Reference, 34.3 percent of Connaughton’s shot attempts come from within 0-3 feet from the hoop. Additionally, a team-high 95 percent of his field goals from inside the arc are assisted.

Within the flow of the offense, Connaughton is making good cuts towards the basket to set up easy looks for himself at the rim, evident by his 5.89 paint touches per 36 minutes, good for second on the team behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Here, Connaughton is able to sneak past his man in semi-transition and finish with a dunk off a slick feed from Matthew Dellavedova:

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Connaughton makes the same move here against the Timberwolves in semi-transition:

https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1056001900489846784

Here again against Minnesota, he recognizes when Donte DiVincenzo struggles to penetrate and loses his man off the hand-off screen to open up a wide open lane to the basket:

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In this clip from his time in Portland, he showcases the off-ball activity he has brought to Milwaukee with this beautiful curl towards the rim:

In this clip, Connaughton loses Curry off the pick and converts the alley-oop dime from Lillard:

Against the Clippers, Connaughton makes himself available in the lane following an offensive rebound for Brogdon to serve up an easy assist:

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All of these clips show just how effective Connaughton’s off-ball activity can be. It’s been key to keeping the offense flowing smoothly and preventing it from growing stagnant.

His ability to read the defense and get himself open makes it that much easier for the Bucks’ skilled creators when he’s on the floor, and he has the athleticism to finish most looks inside with high-percentage dunks.

Speaking of skilled creators with regard to the Antetokounmpo-Connaughton duo, Giannis averages 0.6 assists per game to Connaughton, the fourth highest of any player on the team, despite playing just 10.6 minutes together per contest. That duo also averages the most points in the paint per 36 minutes for Milwaukee’s two-man lineups that have played at least 100 minutes together with 46.4, which speaks to Connaughton’s ability to make backdoor cuts when Giannis drives.

Giannis told Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about his on-court chemistry with Connaughton:

"“He tells me whenever I drive the ball everybody’s looking at me, so he’s going to cut, but before he does it he always tells me, so when I drive the ball down I always know I’m going to have an outlet and it’s going to be Pat. He’s doing a great job of spacing the floor and being in the right place at the right moment.”"

By staying active without the ball in his hands, Connaughton is able to impact the offense in a positive way whenever he’s on the court.