Pat Connaughton’s first fifteen games of the 2025-26 campaign were defined by a desperate, sputtering fight to stay relevant at the end of the rotation. The whiplash was painfully obvious. On 11/13 vs MIL, he caught fire for 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting, earning a +4.1 impact score through decisive shot selection and reliable floor spacing. Just two days later on 11/15 vs MIL, his value cratered to a brutal -10.7 impact. Because he missed all three of his field goal attempts and failed to grab a single rebound in 10 minutes of action, that empty shift highlighted how quickly he becomes a negative presence when his jumper abandons him. He briefly revived his stock on 11/20 vs IND, where a 13-point outburst on 5-for-7 shooting fueled a +6.5 impact score. Ultimately, Connaughton is surviving purely as a feast-or-famine specialist, offering virtually zero playmaking or defensive margin for error on the nights his three-ball refuses to drop.

Pat Connaughton spent the middle of the winter trapped in the deepest recesses of the bench, struggling to find any rhythm during fleeting garbage-time cameos. His brief appearances were often actively harmful, highlighted by a brutal 01/16 vs LAL outing where he logged a -11.0 impact score while recording zero points and a single rebound in just two minutes of action. Even when his role suddenly expanded on 02/20 vs CLE, his 20 minutes on the floor yielded a meager five points and a -6.0 impact. He simply floated through that extended run, bleeding value through passive play and a total inability to pressure the defense. He finally found a way to contribute without scoring efficiently on 03/04 vs BOS. Despite bricking five of his seven shots to finish with just six points in that contest, Connaughton managed a +0.6 impact by throwing his body around on defense and generating enough hustle plays to keep his unit afloat. It was a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak stretch of basketball for the veteran wing.