Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Pat Connaughton’s three-year, $16 million deal

Examining Pat Connaughton’s role with the Milwaukee Bucks

Having played the last two seasons in Milwaukee, all Bucks fans are well equipped with what Connaughton brings to the table. The only difference now is that Connaughton’s returning to a team and foundation that suddenly looks very different to the one he and the team’s cornerstones had been familiar with.

Obviously jettisoning Eric Bledsoe and George Hill in favor of Holiday is one massive way for the Bucks to look different going into the 2020-21 season. How they go about filling in the rest of the puzzle is the big question, especially after the Bogdanovic disaster.

Meanwhile, Connaughton’s the one wing who has gone on to ensure his place in Milwaukee and their rotation going into next season. Matthews is headed to Los Angeles to vie for NBA title, while Sterling Brown is hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent and Kyle Korver may or may not return for another NBA season.

As of now, Connaughton is in line for steady minutes on the wing, considering just how unfinished that part of the Bucks’ roster is at the moment. He proved capable of filling in for depth minutes over the last couple of seasons, but it was a different story when it came to the Bucks’ brief playoff run last year.

The picture is clearly muddled at this moment, but for right now, Connaughton does give the some continuity amid the additions of D.J. Augustin and Bobby Portis. But with three roster spots left open at this stage, adding another wing will go a long way in shoring up that part of their depth chart.