Milwaukee Bucks: Revisiting Pat Connaughton’s 2020-21 goals
By Dalton Sell
The 2020-21 season served as somewhat of a redemption story for both Pat Connaughton and the Milwaukee Bucks.
For Connaughton individually, everyone remembered his poor efforts against the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2020 postseason. He was nearly unplayable in the series as the Bucks got thrashed by the Heat, and many fans did not want him to return as he hit free agency. The Bucks had other plans as they inked Connaughton to a hefty three-year deal worth $18 million, which understandably angered fans at the time. Well, it seems safe to say that Connaughton has been worth every penny of that deal almost a year later.
The swingman proved to be Milwaukee’s unsung hero throughout the playoffs by consistently giving them a reliable piece in the second unit. Without his contributions, the Bucks likely do not pull off this impressive playoff run, which has helped changed the perception around Connaughton entirely. Before he ultimately regained the hearts of Bucks fans in the playoffs, we assessed him these goals before the season and let us see if he hit the mark on them.
Revisiting Pat Connaughton’s 2020-21 goals with the Milwaukee Bucks: No. 1 – Fully regain 3-point consistency
Throughout his first two seasons with the Bucks, Connaughton was a poor shooter from behind the arc. Having knocked down just 33.1 percent of his triples on 2.9 attempts per game, he failed to provide the necessary floor spacing that the Bucks need to help the offense flourish. As he was set to return for year three, improving his outside shot was the biggest improvement this team needed him to make to earn his keep.
He did just that by shooting 37.1 percent on a career-high 3.9 attempts per contest. It was clearly something he worked on throughout the offseason, and the results spoke for themselves. Before this season, the most triples Connaughton’s most makes in a season was 74, which came during the 2017-18 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. This past season, he made an astounding 101 of them, which was just 20 fewer than he made during his first two years in Milwaukee in total.
Not only did Connaughton fully regain his 3-point consistency this past season, but he exceeded anything he previously achieved. He was a fantastic shooter from start to finish, capped off by a great series in the NBA Finals where he hit the second most triples (15) of any player for either team. The only players ahead of him were Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder, who each hit 16. Talk about a great effort from Milwaukee’s sixth man who was in the dog house just under a year ago.