Downtime for N.B.A. players is a study in relaxation techniques. After a practice or before a game, many indulge in video games, a movie, a book or the ever-popular nap. A day off might include all of the above.

But Pat Connaughton, a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers, has a method all his own. On a nice day, he slips on a baseball glove, goes outdoors and plays catch with his father.

It is no ordinary catch, though, and it is not solely for relaxation or familial bonding. Connaughton, a lithe 6-foot-6 shooting guard with a smooth jump shot and a rocket arm, throws with a purpose.

He might go to a remote park around Portland, Ore., with his father, Len Connaughton, a real estate manager. Pat Connaughton loosens up from a close distance for a while, then throws 120 feet on a line and then moves in to 60 feet, firing 90-mile-per-hour lasers that slice through the air.