Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton tests positive for COVID-19

Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton has COVID-19.

The Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites to take home the 2019-20 NBA title in Orlando, but they might need to do so without one of the more promising members of the backcourt in Pat Connaughton for a good chunk of the abbreviated Orlando schedule.

Connaughton confirmed that he is not with the team in Orlando after testing positive for COVID-19, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews. He is the second Bucks guard to contract the virus, with Eric Bledsoe also having been infected. Connaughton claims he will rejoin the team as soon as he is cleared to do so by the league.

Pat Connaughton could be difficult to replace for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Connaughton, a former star at Notre Dame both on the hardwood and on the diamond as a pitcher, was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, only to be immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Connaughton has been a solid contributor off the bench for the Bucks since landing in Milwaukee prior to the 2018-19 season.

Connaughton has averaged 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 46 percent shooting. While he is mostly known as a versatile swingman and shooter on the Bucks, plenty of NBA fans were introduced to him during the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where he placed third.

While his loss isn’t debilitating for the Bucks, players like Sterling Brown and Donte DiVincenzo will need to pick up the pace if it takes a while for Connaughton to return. Playing without Connaughton is manageable, but head coach Mike Budenholzer will need to make some tweaks.

Connaughton may not be the most high-profile name on a team loaded with star power, but he is a quality rotation guard that the Bucks might find it hard to replace given the dearth of options available on the free-agent market.