Ranking the Roster: Pat Connaughton Easily Takes the 6th Spot

Pat Connaughton is every championship contender’s favorite player. A catch and shoot three-point marksman who can bring some value on the defensive side of the ball. There’s a reason that Connaughton was given a three-year $28.2 million dollar contract after the 2021–2022 season. Giannis, after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, said that of all the shooters that he has played with, Connaughton is his favorite. With all of what Connaughton brings to the Bucks, it was no surprise to see him win the sixth spot with 62% of the vote.

Despite some of the erratic nature of some of his teammates in the playoffs, Connaughton has brought some level of consistency to the Bucks lineup since he joined the team in 2018. In every year since he came to Cream City, the former Portland Trail Blazer has shot at least 42% from the field and 34.8% from the three point line, including a 38.9% clip during the Bucks title run. Even during the regular season, Connaughton has almost always shot at least 43% from the field, providing a good safety valve for the Bucks stars. That’s where the almost comes in.

Despite only playing all 82 games once in his career, that doesn’t mean Connaughton hasn’t been a reliable piece to the Bucks bench night-in and night-out. That wasn’t really quite the case this year for Pat, as he dealt with a litany of injuries including a nagging calf strain that he dealt with during October and November and then again in February. That’s not to mention that Connaughton suffered through a non-Covid illness and an ankle injury on April 4. All of those factors played into Connaughton’s worst shooting season since his rookie year at 39.2% from the field, a drop from 45.3% average in his first four seasons with the Bucks.

Then came the playoffs and the series agaisnt the Miami Heat. After being held out of Game 1 by former head coach Mike Budenholzer, an injury to Wesley Matthews paved a way for Connaughton to get into the rotation. He made an immediate impact, scoring 22 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the three point line in the lone victory for Milwaukee in the series. Despite contributing on the offensive end in spurts, like many of the Bucks guards and wings, he was torched on the defensive end by the likes of Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson. After being a +5 in game two, Connaughton was a -24 and -11 in the next two games in Miami.

Despite his rough season, Connaughton will still be one of the most important players if the Bucks are going to win with this current core or potentially a new one after this season. Connaughton could go to nearly any other NBA team and have an impact right away. A player who can knock down three pointers at a consistent rate, with a good volume of shots is highly coveted in the NBA. The long off-season will do Connaughton some good to get him back fully healthy and ready to knock down a whole lot of three-pointers for the Bucks this season.

With Connaughton off the board, let’s go ahead and look at who could be the next most important player for the Bucks in the postseason.