When the Utah Jazz acquired Mike Conley, Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies it was widely believed to be the move that push the Jazz to the Western Conference’s upper echelon. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out that way. From the very first game with the Jazz where Conley went 1-16 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, fans began to wonder what his fit would be like in Utah. The struggles continued for the guard as he shot below 40% from the field in the first ten games of the season. Back then, it was easy to dismiss the woes as learning his role on a new team, finding a fit in the offense, or even just simple nerves. Now, 57 games into the season, the questions remain, and the answers don’t feel that simple.
After failing to trade for Conley at last year’s trade deadline, the Jazz ramped up their efforts in the offseason and successfully acquired the veteran point guard. What were the Jazz getting bringing in Conley? They were getting someone that in his time with the Memphis Grizzlies, has been one of the best starting point guards in the NBA. He has proven to be a solid offensive option that averaged 21.1 points and 6.4 assists in the prior season, a reliable defender that has earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Defense team, and a veteran leader to help develop their young core.
So far, the play the Jazz have gotten out of their veteran guard has been like their season: below expectations. The story for Conley has been as much about inconsistency as it has been about injuries. There have been glimpses this season from the 13-year veteran that he has lived up to the Mike Conley, Jr. everyone knows, including an eight-game span in November where he averaged 18.5 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field while accumulating nearly five assists per game.
Shortly after that run, Conley suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss over a month of games. Could that be one of the answers to his play this season? It’s hard to get a feel for your fit in an offense when missing so many games. Much of the talk around Conley is about the periods he has struggled rather than the positive glimpses. One of the reasons could be because the run the Jazz went on as the hottest team in the NBA during his absence. That run slowed soon after his return to the lineup.
Now there is no way Conley should be blamed for this change. He returned to a different team after they traded for Jordan Clarkson and waived fellow veteran Jeff Green. He also returned to a bench role with limited minutes. However, the struggles with him in the lineup are curious. He hasn’t looked comfortable offensively with the Jazz. Is it because, for the first time in his career, he is starring in a frontcourt with another ball-dominant guard in Donovan Mitchell? That seems to be the most logical answer, and the answer Jazz fans should be hoping for because that can be adjusted.
Conley’s leadership is one of the major reasons Utah brought him in this season, and the three-time NBA Sportsmanship Award winner should be able to have the buy-in to understand and excel in the role the team finds for him in the second half of the season.
Questions continued to stir after a recent home loss to the Phoenix Suns, which made three straight losses for the Jazz. On Wednesday, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that the team informed players that Mike Conley Jr. would be removed from the starting lineup in favor of their three and D man Royce O’Neale. Soon after releasing the report, the Jazz came back and decided to keep Mike Conley Jr. in the starting lineup, and instead move Joe Ingles back to their sixth-man spot. While it could be any number of reasons, this back-pedal has many speculating that agents got involved after the news was released, and the players were informed.
Whatever the reasons are, there is much to be figured out for this Utah team. While there are unanswered questions, the Jazz are still sitting 5th in the West and on track to make the playoffs. The sky is not falling. They have had runs where they look like a top-three team in the NBA offensively and defensively. There is still a lot of basketball to be played, and the Jazz still have much to prove in pursuit of their championship aspirations. If there was any player to have question marks around, thirteen-year veteran Mike Conley seems to be the one most likely to be able to adapt and lead this team on a postseason run.
