Pat Connaughton was honest and direct in speaking about the importance of former teammate Malcolm Brogdon to the 2019 Eastern Conference runner-up. Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks looked like a tight-knit group. They played unselfishly on the court and appeared to mesh well off it as well. The cohesiveness of the team led to a regular season record of 60-22, the best record in the NBA. After they were knocked out of the playoffs, the Bucks' front office knew it had to keep the group together as much as possible. While they resigned Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon ended up on the Indiana Pacers.

Bucks guard Pat Connaughton lamented the loss of Brogdon, both as a player and as a teammate:

“Malcolm was probably one of my closest friends on the team, so losing him, it hurts a lot. Both from a team standpoint from what he can do and from a personal standpoint because of the camaraderie he brought to the team.”

It hurts to lose a teammate, especially one who is such a good person and leader. Now, the Bucks will have to fill the large gap Brogdon left with his departure.

Connaughton will have to play more key minutes at the guard spot. Last year, he averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in just over 20 minutes a game. All of those figures are likely to rise as Connaughton continues to improve year by year. The Bucks will need him to make strides to fill Brogdon's shoes.