Pat Connaughton came to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2015 NBA Draft after passing on a chance to pursue his baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles, who drafted him in the 2014 MLB Draft. Connaughton talked with Alan Siegel of The Ringer about his early days in the NBA with the Blazers:
For the Notre Dame graduate, it was a strange transition. The towering right-hander was built to intimidate on the pitcher’s mound. “The person that was at the plate was at a disadvantage, not me,” said Connaughton, who averaged only 4.