The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals just over a year ago.
However, this year they weren’t able to make it as far and got pushed out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Despite that disappointment, the team still has a good thing going – and they want to keep it that way.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is exercising his $5.7 million option to return for the 2022-2023 season, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2022
It looks like that’s exactly what they’ll do.
Pat Connaughton, the veteran shooting guard who has been with the Bucks for four seasons now, has exercised his $5.7 player option and will return to the team for the upcoming season, ESPN is reporting.
The team has been relying on Connaughton more lately and he’s been playing some of the best basketball of his career so this is a win-win for everyone involved.
Connaughton Comes Back
Connaughton has a career average of 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
However, in the 2021-22 season, he was putting up 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
With several injuries – most notably Khris Middleton’s – affecting the Bucks, the team was looking to Connaughton more and he repeatedly came up clutch for his squad.
He started in 19 games this past season, a career-high and was regularly solid for the Bucks.
The team will need more of that output from Connaughton in the new season because they have a large hill to climb in order to make the Finals again.
The Eastern Conference is more stacked than ever and competition is fierce, with the Celtics and Miami Heat vying for the top spot alongside the Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and others.
If Milwaukee hopes to get all the way through the postseason next year, they’ll need all of their stars to shine bright – including Connaughton.
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