March 11, 2026
When the Milwaukee Bucks moved Pat Connaughton to the Charlotte Hornets in an offseason salary dump, the expectation around the league was simple: he was unlikely to stick around.
Even inside the building, there were no promises.
“There is one person I want to shout out specifically, and that’s Pat Connaughton,” Hornets President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson said during a meeting addressing the team in the preseason, captured by the Hornets YouTube series, Reel Access. “When we made the trade for Pat, I talked to him and I said, ‘You’re probably not making the team’… He’s on this team because he’s about everything that we’re about: Hornets DNA… if there’s any doubt at any time of what we’re about, look at what he did. Because it was all in his control, in terms of his attitude, his approach, showing up every day.”
Connaughton cleared the first round of roster cuts, then did it again. When he was waived at February’s trade deadline to help facilitate other moves, the Charlotte Hornets did not hesitate to circle back — re-signing him shortly after.
Even without a regular role in the rotation, the 11-year NBA veteran had already left his mark on a young locker room. The decision to bring him back spoke volumes about how much Charlotte values his presence, influence and professionalism behind the scenes.
OFFICIAL: We have signed guard Pat Connaughton.
🔗: https://t.co/AecinkDwVo pic.twitter.com/Q6zIlYXSRF
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 9, 2026
Inside the staff, that belief is shared. Assistant coach Josh Longstaff says Connaughton’s impact extends well beyond minutes played — describing him as someone who “brings winning habits every day,” whose voice carries influence because he’s “been around winning most of his career” and knows how to reach different players individually.
So what is the secret sauce?
“I think a lot of it has to do with my experience in the NBA and winning at a high level,” Connaughton said. “I’ve been fortunate to win a championship, but made the playoffs every single year I’ve been in the NBA. I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good vets, some really good coaches, some really good organizations. I’ve been a sponge, trying to soak up new information.”
Pat Connaughton, who has been in the playoffs every season since entering the NBA, was part of the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks championship team, where Charles Lee was an assistant.
Connaughton’s résumé includes a championship with Milwaukee and a career spent inside winning environments where he’s never missed the playoffs. Longstaff says that background is part of why teammates listen to him: “He’s Hornets’ DNA through and through… the guys have a level of respect for him because of that.” But the key is not just what information he has absorbed, it’s how he redistributes it.
Despite spending much of the season outside Charlotte’s rotation, Connaughton may know the Hornets system as well as anyone.
“I know the plays at every single position, no matter if I’ve ever played that position for a second or not in my time here with the Hornets,” he said. “I know one through five. I understand what Charles is looking for on the defensive end. I understand on the offensive end what type of shots we’re trying to get and how we’re supposed to be moving the ball and how we can manipulate other defenses in order to get to what we want.”
“I’m able to be a conduit to the foundation and the process that Charles wants for this organization,” Connaughton said. “And I think sometimes it’s a peer-to-peer relationship that can really emphasize and really solidify what a coach and an organization is trying to preach.”
But knowing the system is only part of the value he brings. Connaughton made it a point to share that understanding, helping younger players and new teammates get up to speed. It’s this ability to tailor his message — and understanding of “how to talk to certain players,” as Longstaff put it — that has quietly made him one of the locker room’s most effective leaders.
“I just try to continue to push that messaging to the rest of the team,” Connaughton said. “And I think there’s a level of respect that I’ve been fortunate to garner since I’ve gotten here because of where I’ve come from.”
Hornets’ new addition Coby White spoke about Connaughton’s IQ and feel for the game after his first game in a Hornets uniform. Photo: Alex Cason / CLTure
That influence was obvious even to the newest Hornets — something Coby White pointed out in the Blazers post‑game press conference.
“Obviously, been in the league for a long time,” White said “Getting to know him, his mind for the game, his IQ, his feel for the game in terms of making in-game adjustments, communicating, I already can tell it’s been huge for the team.”
Connaughton laughed when asked what White might have been referring to for the in-game adjustment after the win against the Blazers.
“I don’t know, I say a lot,” he joked.
But he later offered a window into his guidance.
“I don’t want to be the guy that just says something to say something… I want to make sure it’s meaningful and it resonates at the time in the situation. So usually for me, I’m not saying something every time out, but I’m grabbing guys individually to help them or I wait until it’s an important moment in the game.”
Pat Connaughton, who was also a standout baseball player at Notre Dame, won an ACC Tournament title in 2015, scoring 20 points in the championship game during the 90-82 win over North Carolina. Photo: Andy Mead / AP
Reflecting on his impact on his teammates, Connaughton explained how he tries to simplify complex in-game issues.
“I think through it from a turnover standpoint,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that can point towards turnovers throughout the course of the game, but how do you identify what is the main cause of the most turnovers, and then how do you articulate that clearly and simply to the team as a whole to help change that understanding.”
That voice commands respect, coming from a peer with more than a decade of NBA experience, a championship on his résumé, and time spent under elite coaches like Mike Budenholzer and Doc Rivers — and most importantly, Charles Lee, who is among the brightest young coaches in the league with championship experience.
“I’m able to be a conduit to the foundation and the process that Charles wants for this organization,” Connaughton said. “And I think sometimes it’s a peer-to-peer relationship that can really emphasize and really solidify what a coach and an organization is trying to preach.”
Connaughton has only started 72 of his 625 career games and has only averaged 18.7 minutes per game in his career. But despite that, he’s found a way to lead in his own way.
“It’s consistency,” he explained. “It’s understanding that the team comes first. It’s understanding what it takes to win at the highest level and what goes into that on a daily basis. It’s how you carry yourself. It’s how you treat others around you.”
That hasn’t always been the case in Charlotte. In the past, young players struggled to meet the expectations of being professional athletes, and while they’re responsible for their own choices, the Hornets also lacked steady veteran voices to set the standard. The additions of leaders like Taj Gibson last season and Connaughton this year have helped shift that.
“I just try to continue to push that messaging to the rest of the team,” Connaughton said. “And I think there’s a level of respect that I’ve been fortunate to garner since I’ve gotten here because of where I’ve come from.” Photo: Nick Wass / AP
“It’s everything from before you step into the building and how you’re handling yourself as a professional,” said Connaughton. “And then everything from the moment you step in the building.”
That level of intentionality is not always a given in the NBA. The league is filled with potential distractions: late nights, poor habits, complicated personal lives, and off-court noise can all chip away at focus and consistency. For a young group like the Hornets, having a veteran who models professionalism on a daily basis matters as much as any technical adjustment on the floor.
His mindset is simple and straightforward.
“I try to make sure that with every guy on the team, they understand that my job is to try to see each and every one of their best interests while helping them understand what it takes to win at this level, because winning at this level helps everybody accomplish their goals.”
Charlotte’s in-season turnaround has been one of the most impressive in recent history. Connaughton does not point to a single defining moment; instead, he offers a very unsensationalized explanation.
“I think it was the consistent desire to be better and the competitive nature that I saw on a daily basis,” he said. “All that was genuine and authentic from every single guy on the team. They wanted to win. They were competitive. They just weren’t very clear on how.”
A lot of credit goes to Charles Lee for keeping this young group focused, developing, and pushing through one of the league’s most impressive in‑season turnarounds. His constant references to “Hornets DNA” and “Daily Improvement” might have felt repetitive at times, but the payoff is here: the small steps he emphasized every day have added up, and the Hornets now look like one of the most exciting rising teams in the NBA.
“I think Charles has done a tremendous job setting the foundation last year, setting the foundation this summer, and continuing to set the foundation at the beginning of this year,” Connaughton said. “We didn’t see the results right away. But when we started to see them, and we started to see small things change, you’re able to capture some of the metrics that you can then visually show to the team that, ‘hey, things are turning around, things are getting better, even if the results haven’t happened to the level that we wanted.’”
Connaughton played a key role in reinforcing that message during the team’s early-season struggles, helping carry the coaching staff’s emphasis on steady progress and reminding teammates that the results would come.
Photo: Nell Redmond / AP
Connaughton was not supposed to make the team — he was told as much. But throughout training camp, he showed up every day committed to getting better, competing hard, and putting the team first. Those traits quickly made him a standout example of what the Hornets call their “DNA”: daily improvement, toughness, and selfless play.
If there is any doubt about Charlotte’s identity, Peterson offered instruction early on: Look at Pat Connaughton.
Read next: