Pat Connaughton is the rare type of athlete that has the ability to play two professional sports. Connaughton is a member of the Baltimore Orioles organization as a pitcher and is also a member of the Portland Trail Blazers after being drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft. For now Connaughton is planning to focus on basketball but he does eventually want to play both sports at the pro level. The Blazers don't have interest in allowing Connaughton to play baseball at least not right now according to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com.
Connaughton throws a 96 MPH fastball but can also shoot the lights out on the basketball court and had the highest vertical leap at the NBA combine with a 44 inch jump. He is clearly a very gifted athlete but he recently signed a three year contract with the Blazers, with the first two years guaranteed, and is preparing for training camp so he will focus on being an NBA player for the time being. Blazers general manager Neil Olshey turned down the notion of Connaughton playing basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer.
"That's not happening, the conversation we had with Pat prior to all of this was you're an NBA player now. Being an NBA player is not a part-time job. The time when Pat would be going to play baseball is a time when you're working on your game and getting better, you see how valuable July is. During the development phase, you need Summer League; you need to spend the offseason in the gym. You can't do that on a part-time basis," said Olshey.
Connaughton reportedly agreed with all of those comments by Olshey and knows that he has to fully focus on the NBA right now. Connaughton and Olshey also agreed that if Connaughton does well for the Blazers during this first contract and establishes himself in the league then baseball might become more of an option.
"Now, look, if he gets into a second contract down the road and that is something he wants to pursue, then that can be a discussion point," said Olshey.
Connaughton should see some time as a rookie for a Blazers team that is expected to be a bottom feeder in the Western Conference. At 6 foot-5 Connaughton is a great shooter and an extremely savvy player that should be able to contribute immediately in the NBA. He may not get to play two professional sports right away but the 22 year-old can certainly make a name for himself on the hardwood.
