Valley of the Suns
Fansided

Pat Connaughton: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard/forward Pat Connaughton (24) reacts during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard/forward Pat Connaughton (24) reacts during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Pat Connaughton
Feb 21, 2015; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard/forward Pat Connaughton (24) grabs a rebound against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

Weaknesses

Connaughton is plenty athletic and he’s a hardworking defender. Don’t forget, it was his game-deciding block against Butler that saved Notre Dame’s season in the NCAA Tournament, and that dedication on the defensive end will help him carve out his niche in the pros. This kind of intuition and athleticism in a crunch-time situation is not a given at any level of basketball:

But determination doesn’t guarantee you anything in the NBA, even if you are an exceptional athlete who’s as capable of throwing down a powerhouse dunk as you are of throwing a 95 mph fastball. Connaughton has said many times he’s all-in with his basketball career, but now he’s got to convince an NBA team to commit to him with the same verve.

His stock went WAY up after the combine, so he should feel blessed for that. But even after opening some eyes in regard to his quickness and leaping ability, the truth is that Connaughton is still undersized for the small forward position at 6’5″.

In a game-of-his-life type situation against Kentucky, that didn’t matter for Connaughton, who teamed up with Zach Auguste to hold their own against two of the best big man prospects in this year’s draft class. But at the next level, NBA small forwards might be able to exploit his lack of size, strength and lateral quickness no matter how committed he is.

Next: Potential Fit

Home/Suns News