Milwaukee Bucks: Revisiting Pat Connaughton’s 2019-20 season so far

Milwaukee Bucks: Revisiting Pat Connaughton’s 2019-20 season so far – One big question moving forward

First and foremost, the importance of Connaughton’s health and fitness is especially pertinent in light of his positive COVID-19 diagnosis, which had prevented him from coming to Orlando until over the weekend.

For as diligent of a worker as he is both on and off the court, how Connaughton responds to getting back up to game fitness after his bout with the virus, and all of the uncertainty that is associated with it, will be very important to watch moving forward. And he won’t be the only Bucks player having to deal with such questions as Eric Bledsoe is dealing with the same thing after arriving in Orlando a few days before Connaughton.

But compared to Bledsoe, who will easily reclaim his spot as the team’s starting point guard, Connaughton may be in for a sticker situation to get steady, consistent minutes as the Bucks’ season picks back up and with the start of the playoffs is right around the corner.

As we’ve previously covered in our individual season reviews to this point, each of the Bucks’ wings brings a different dimension to the floor, all while sharing the overlapping qualities of spacing the floor offensively and having to defend multiple positions on the other side of the ball.

There’s no question Connaughton’s heady defensive services are key to the minutes that he does earn from Budenholzer. But as has been the case all throughout his Bucks stint, Connaughton’s range shooting will swing whether he plays a prominent role over the coming weeks and months.

Being the 32.6 percent 3-point shooter that he has been throughout his time in Milwaukee, the up-and-down shooting that Connaughton has brought to the table won’t be sufficient in the biggest moments of the Bucks’ season. Of course, all it takes is for Connaughton to hit a hot streak to make this all moot and he’s certainly shown that for limited stretches at a time over the last two seasons.

For as steady as he’s been, and as many strides as he’s had to make to fill out his all-around game, Connaughton sporting some improved consistency from long range will be absolutely necessary for his chances to have a consistent role within the Bucks’ rotation down in Walt Disney World.