Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Pat Connaughton’s three-year, $16 million deal
Looking at Pat Connaughton’s fit with the Milwaukee Bucks
When it comes to assessing Connaughton’s fit within the Bucks’ reshaped foundation, you have to weigh both the good and the bad.
Let’s start with the good. Connaughton offers great positional size, athleticism and versatility on the defensive end, all qualities that the Bucks are well familiar with and entice them to signing the Notre Dame product two summers ago. That has helped him become a solid perimeter defender who offers the rare ability of being able to block shots when contesting and chasing opposing sharpshooters around the floor.
Given his familiarity with the organization and how they operate defensively, that’s not something to be ignored.
On the other hand, Connaughton’s 3-and-D skill set is a little bit one-sided, considering his struggles in mastering his 3-point shot as he is a 34.4 percent 3-point shooter over his five-career. The ups and downs that have come with Connaughton being unable to provide at least adequate floor spacing has been the main source of why he’s more a depth contributor than a starting-caliber player.
Along with that, Connaughton is far from a shot creator, even though he is somewhat respectable in moving the ball and making solid decisions in that way. His cutting skills off the ball does give the Bucks some movement to a Bucks offense that has had it’s troubles in growing static, especially in the postseason.
Certainly, Connaughton’s character and intangibles have been key in establishing the culture the Bucks have been able to cultivate over the last couple of season as they have ascended into being a contender in the East.
Is that enough to overlook the more defensive-minded qualities Connaughton provides while his offense remains stuck in second gear? To each their own on their opinions on that front, but there are plenty of things that have to be ironed out at the moment, both with Connaughton’s deal and elsewhere on their roster.