3 Bucks who need more minutes in Game 3 vs. Pacers

Pat Connauhgton

Connauhgton is already playing 20.5 minutes a game in this series. Does he honestly deserves more? Well, he might. He's far from brilliant in most aspects of the game, but he can bring some things that no other bench player can. There are some stretches in which, if you want to to rest Lillard or Middleton, you may just need him to be out there.

First, he's one of the only role players on the roster who can actually put the ball on the floor and score. The roster is filled with good shooters, but most of them don't really have an answer when the defense is being aggressive on closeouts, so the offense is forced to reset. Connaughton, however, can drive, finish at the rim and make good reads to assist other players.

Even in games where he's not shooting all that well, he can add to the offense.

He can also be really helpful in the rebounding battle, having some vertical jump that helps to clear out the glass. Milwaukee did a much better job in Game 2 than in Game 1 in this particular task, and Connaughton was a key part of it, thanks to his seven rebounds, something he'll have to bring again for Game 3.

With the series on the line, the Bucks cannot allow themselves to be outrebounded, as was the case in the first match, and he's the backcourt player who has the potential to be more helpful in doing so.

Furthermore, he's been playing some good defense lately. He's contesting shots, fighting through mismatches and being active with help. He hasn't been a game-changer, but he's still having a positive impact. In fact, opponents are just shooting 28.6 percent when guarded by him in this series, and even if this stat doesn't seem like the most precise way to translate his job into numbers, he's indeed putting some effort on the defensive end.

He could split his minutes a bit more with Patrick Beverley, who is also doing a good job but is a bit smaller, and sometimes it shows. He's also one of those players who brings it 100 percent on every single play, but having him play 35 minutes a game might be asking too much at this point of his career. So, if Connaughton and Andre Jackson Jr. fill up some more minutes, Beverley could have a bigger impact when he's on the court.