I don’t have the data, and I’m too lazy to acquire the data, but I’m wondering if “Nationally Televised Connaughton” is a thing. Because I can now think of two games where Pat Connaughton totally showed out on national TV. There was that one where he dunked all over the Warriors last year, and there’s this one, where he’s dunking all over the Trailblazers.
We’re just going to go ahead and say that Nationally Televised Connaughton (henceforth referred to as “NTC”) is a thing now. When the lights get brighter, when the whole world is watching, that’s when Connaughton does best. The random games against bad Eastern Conference teams in dreary Milwaukee in the middle of January with no one watching just don’t get his juices flowing.
By the way: if you come up with data that proves that NTC is not a thing, don’t even bother letting me know. I don’t want to hear about it. I’ve got a narrative in my mind now, and if it gets challenged, I’ll become very upset. Possibly even violent. Just let me have this one.
Connaughton’s been flitting in and out of the rotation as Budenholzer tries to determine which of he, Donte DiVincenzo, or Sterling Brown are the best player to replace Khris Middleton. Sometimes he doesn’t get to play or barely gets to play, sometimes he gets big minutes for no real reason. I thought good teams were supposed to have steady rotations? Even in this one, he only played 21 minutes, but made the most of his time on the court, dunking and hitting threes in the way that only he can.