The Milwaukee Bucks were dealt a brutal blow when it came to Pat Connaughton, as the sharpshooter fractured a bone in his right hand during the loss to the Phoenix Suns. While Connaughton will be out for the foreseeable future, the latest update on the Bucks shooting guard comes with one key silver lining. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, while Connaughton is set to undergo surgery on his hand to repair the fractured bone, he's expected to return before the end of the season.
That's definitely a positive break for the Bucks, who have serious aspirations of repeating as NBA champions in 2021-22. The loss of Connaughton in the short term will be difficult to overcome, though they certainly have the star power and depth to compete in his absence.
Connaughton has played a meaningful role for the Bucks off the bench this season, though he's been inserted as a starter for 18 of his 54 appearances. Averaging 27 minutes per night, Connaughton is scoring a career-high 10.1 points per game, to go with 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He's draining 2.3 3-pointers per contest at a career-best 40.7% clip, proving an invaluable member of Milwaukee's rotation.
While the 29-year-old won't be returning to the court any time soon, it's extremely encouraging to know that his season isn't done following a serious injury such as a fractured bone in his hand. While there's no exact timetable for Connaughton's return as of yet, Wojnarowski's report should have Bucks fans feeling confident that they'll get the sharpshooting wing back before the team's playoff run.