WALTHAM, Mass. — As Pat Connaughton held court Wednesday at the Boston Celtics’ practice facility, it was clear to the media members in attendance that they were speaking with a supremely confident dude.
The NBA draft hopeful talked openly about his decision to choose basketball over baseball (he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2014), brought up his posterization of former Duke star Jabari Parker and even joked about how he might tank his upcoming workout with one of the Celtics’ Atlantic Division rivals, the New York Knicks.
But even Connaughton, who grew up in neighboring Arlington, Mass., admitted working out for the NBA team he spent his childhood rooting for brought out some unusual emotions.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” the 6-foot-5 swingman said. “I’m not a kid that gets nervous very often. However, at the beginning (of the workout), I was little bit giddy, shall we say. I was excited to be here.”
Wednesday’s workout was Connaughton’s seventh as he looks to boost his stock in the lead-up to the 2015 NBA Draft. The Notre Dame product said he’ll work out for another six or so teams ahead of draft night. For all of those, however, he’ll have to travel more than a short drive from his house.
“I’ve played in this gym quite a few times over the years, so it was really nice to be back — drive over, be familiar, be in a comfortable setting,” said Connaughton, who was a two-sport star at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Mass., and played in the same AAU program as Cooper and Crew Ainge, sons of Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.
The return home brought with it the obvious benefit of seeing friends and family — a rarity given a typical draft prospect’s jam-packed schedule — and also offered Connaughton a more comfortable environment in which to train.
“It’s a mixture of both,” he said. “I got to go to some of my favorite spots, see some of my friends that I haven’t been able to see being in the Midwest. But at the same time, I’ve decided to make sure when I’m home, be working out just as hard as I would if I was at school. Sometimes it’s even easier to work out at home because you’re in a more controlled setting. You have your house. You have the places you grew up working out at, grew up playing at, things of that nature.
“As exciting as it is to be home and to play in this setting, it kind of makes you a little more hungry to succeed and bring that recognition back to where you came from: Boston, Arlington — those two places.”
And simply being able to wear the words “Boston Celtics” on his chest as he worked out for head coach Brad Stevens was pretty cool, too.
“No doubt about it,” Connaughton said. “I was a Celtics fan when Antoine Walker was doing the shake and when the Big Three were winning championships.”
It’s a tradition the Mass. native would love to be a part of.
“Of course,” he said. “I think I look pretty good in green, what do you think?”
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
