Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from 5-game road trip

Pat Connaughton impresses in his three road starts

Just last season, swingman Pat Connaughton was wasting away on the bench for the second consecutive season. With his contract on the line over the summer, it truly looked like he was destined to leave basketball and pursue a baseball career. Instead, the Blazers retained him and have quickly incorporated him into the lineup this season.

Heading into the road trip, Connaughton was already leaving quite the impression. He averaged 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, in addition to shooting 41.2 percent from 3 over his first 16 games. At the time, he was playing 19.6 minutes a game off of the bench.

But by the third game of the road trip, following their loss to the 76ers, head coach Terry Stotts saw fit to make a lineup change. He opted to start Connaughton at small forward against the Nets in place of incumbent Maurice Harkless. He also started the remaining two games of the trip.

Connaughton averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in his three starts. He also shot an astronomical 72.2 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line. He put up 12 points in the Wizards win, then followed it up with 17 against the Knicks.

Pat Connaughton has rocketed his way into the starting lineup, with the support of the guy he replaced. We’ll see if he can or will retain his new role as the Blazers return to Portland.