Apr 5, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton (24) takes a shot as Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) defends during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Hornets' Pat Connaughton earns odd superlative from Bleacher Report

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 12:24 PM ET

Out of all the Charlotte Hornets players, who might be the best on a podcast? You might think LaMelo Ball because of his lack of filter or Kon Knueppel because of his youth, but you'd be wrong. According to Bleacher Report, it's someone who's been a Hornet all of a couple of months.

Why Pat Connaughton might make a great podcast host

Pat Connaughton is a veteran and an NBA champion, two things that would undoubtedly aid him if he were ever to pick up a microphone and start or join a podcast. His being on the Hornets is inconsequential to this; he just happens to be, in Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes' eyes, the best choice.

"It's possible the Charlotte Hornets will soon part with Pat Connaughton and his expiring $9.4 million salary because the veteran wing doesn't really have a place on a rebuilding team," Hughes admitted. But for now, he would make a lot of sense.

"The former two-sport star with championship experience and a front-row seat to the prime years of Giannis Antetokounmpo would have plenty of interesting things to say," the B/R analyst added, and that two-sport status is primarily why Connaughton got the nod here.

"Connaughton could help curb the ridiculous rise of for-profit youth-sport specialization," Hughes said. "The Youth Sports Industrial Complex is a money grab built on the fallacy that kids have to specialize extremely early, and that parents are short-changing them by not pouring gobs of money into year-round development."

Since Connaughton is walking proof that that is not always the best option, Hughes believes every episode would be a PSA of sorts to help stop this phenomenon. Players earn different skills and strengths by playing multiple sports, and in some cases, that can help more than being exclusive.

Other than Connaughton, who might not make it to the regular season in a Hornets uniform, there are some other interesting podcast host choices. Knueppel, as mentioned, would be interesting as he's spoken well as a guest on podcasts before. Brandon Miller, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Josh Green would also make a lot of sense.