Milwaukee Bucks: Grading the offseason acquisitions after 23 games

Pat Connaughton

Finally, we get to everyone’s new favorite Bucks player, the man with hops that are only outshined by his fits, “Planet” Pat Connaughton.

The Bucks signed Connaughton to a two-year, $3.36 million deal (the second year not guaranteed) over the summer. It certainly wasn’t much of a noteworthy signing as Connaughton had been little more than a role player his first three years in the league with Portland, with the last season being the only one he appeared more than 41 games in.

It seemed like more of a depth signing on the wing, an insurance in case of disastrous seasons from Tony Snell, Sterling Brown or DiVincenzo. At first, that’s pretty much all he was.

Connaughton didn’t see the floor in three of the first four games of the season and was only getting garbage time minutes for the first couple of weeks of the season.

Gradually, though, he gained Budenholzer’s trust and slowly began to get more meaningful minutes off the bench. Connaughton’s breakout game I believe was the road victory against Golden State in early November, where he had 10 points in the first half and finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in a dominant Bucks victory.

It was the first game that Connaughton got over 20 minutes of playing time, and after that he became a regular contributor off the bench. Going forward, he was getting at least 16 minutes of playing time in every game, even getting as much as 36 minutes in the overtime loss to the Knicks in New York.

Like DiVincenzo, much of what Connaughton brings to the table comes from his energy and athleticism. He’s not stuffing the stat sheet by any measure, but it’s the individual plays he seems to make every game that has made him a rotation mainstay for Budenholzer.

It helped that DDV, who was ahead of him in the rotation to begin the year, missed five games with an injury, but Connaughton has been able to make the most of the chances he’s gotten.

At least once a game it seems he’s able to surprise a shooter by blocking their jumper by using his incredible vertical, or use a quick backdoor cut to get free for an easy deuce.

You can tell that he’s earned Budenholzer and his teammate’s trust, and watching him go from benchwarmer to one of the most productive bench players has been really fun to watch.

Statistically, he’s having the best season of his career, posting career-highs in offensive (119) and defensive (106) rating. His net rating, for a role player who doesn’t produce a lot of points, is off the charts.

The biggest surprise is probably his defense. In Portland, Connaughton was mostly a defensive liability, with a defensive rating never lower than 110. But with the Bucks, he seems to have bought into Budenholzer’s philosophy and scheme, doing a great job of defending the three-point line and funneling shooters into the paint for the shot-blockers.

With each game, the cheap deal he signed with the Bucks looks more and more like another steal for Horst. Right now, it’s hard to imagine the Bucks wouldn’t bring him back for the second year of his contract, which will be just $1.7 million.

Less than two million a year for a player like Connaughton is something practically every team in the NBA would take right now.

Grade: B+

There’s a lot more work to be done for the Bucks’ offseason additions with just under 60 games remaining, but it’s safe to say the early returns have been positive.