14 October 2023
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mike Conley is one of the best sources of information in the NBA.
Entering his 17th NBA season, the 36-year-old Timberwolves point guard has seen it all, and has the knowledge and willingness to explain what’s taken place and what’s to come with the media and, thus, the fans. That breadth of insight and analysis extends from the on-court Xs and Os to team dynamics and development.
Conley is just as good at explaining why two teammates came to blows in the middle of a timeout as he is on what the team needs to do to decode a switch-heavy defense.
So who better to sit down with twice a month to tackle different topics ranging from the Timberwolves to the league at large to, well, Mike Conley, than Conley himself.
Welcome to the first installment of Conley’s Corner.
‘The Old Guy’ has still got game
Mike Conley noted there is a “script” NBA players are supposed to follow. Once you hit a certain age, you must conform into a different mold of player.
“You’re no longer allowed to do the things you did before. You’re not supposed to go and score 20 points, you’re not supposed to shoot that many times. You’re supposed to just give knowledge to everybody and become that vet,” Conley said. “A lot of people follow it.”
Frankly, it looked like Conley was a candidate for such a trajectory. While he was an all-star in 2021 and helped guide the Utah Jazz to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in 2022, his usage dipped at the start of last season with the Jazz.
The man who at one time was one of the most dynamic floor generals in the game was trending toward a lesser role. Conley himself doubted whether he would get the opportunity to be the on-ball signal caller he was earlier in his career.
“I honestly thought we were kinda trending toward just corner spot-up shots and just being a spacer and guard guys around the court,” Conley said.
His minute load throughout his time in Utah was consistently sub-30 per game. When the veteran guard was traded to Minnesota, any questions regarding the deal centered on how much Conley actually had left in the tank.
There were reasons to believe the point guard’s best days were behind him. Much of his traditional “prime” was dampened by injuries. He played just 12 games during his age-30 season thanks first to an Achilles injury, and then a season-ending heel surgery.
His first year in Utah was derailed by a hamstring issue. He probably was not the same player during that span of his career, as many suggested.
But the Timberwolves were confident when they traded for Conley that he could be everything this team needed and more. Within the first week of his tenure in Minnesota, Conley realized his new team wanted him to be an aggressor — and a general — on both ends of the floor.
“I loved it, because I’d been preparing myself for that still, training the same way I normally do,” he said. “I don’t sit in the corner and just work on corner threes. I’m still working off the dribble, off of pick and rolls — all things I’m used to doing. For me to get that opportunity again, just really thankful.”
He paid off Minnesota’s faith in full. In 24 regular-season games last season, Conley averaged 14 points and five assists in 31 minutes per game, while shooting 46 percent from the field and a whopping 42 percent from deep. He was one of the team’s best and most consistent performers in the first-round playoff series against the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Most importantly, Conley was the missing piece required to make the rest of Minnesota’s lineup — featuring two bigs and a high-usage guard in Anthony Edwards — work. He knew what the Timberwolves needed to run and when someone else needed to touch the ball.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said having a point guard with Conley’s IQ makes Finch’s job “easy.”
“We kind of joke that I don’t think enough people talk about how good he is,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. “You talk about him being the grizzled vet, the veteran leadership voice, but he’s still a heck of a player.”
So, the opposite of a washed-up has-been that some may have perceived him to be. Yes, Conley was aware of all of the opinions.
“I’ve heard it all, man,” said Conley, who turned 36 on Wednesday. “And it’s about how much you let it sit. If you believe it, at some point you will be that old guy. But a lot of that just made me continue to do the things I do, keep my body the same way.”
Conley said it’s “ironic” that he feels better today than he did when he was 29 or 30 years old. For one, he’s healthy now. He joked early in training camp that he “looked like (Michael) Jordan” in practice as he glided through the paint and executed a reverse layup.
“Seriously though,” he said, “it’s good to just kinda feel that again and that confidence to go out there and be who you are.”
He has a firm grasp of the person and player he is.
“Now, my body has turned this corner to where I know what I need, I know what it needs to stay strong, I know what it needs to stay healthy and whether that’s a mix of diet, work ethic on and off the court, sleep, kids, all that stuff is all part of it. I’ve really locked into it,” he said. “Because, in my opinion, I don’t think about the negatives of what perceptions people have. I think more so about how cool it is that I’m in Year 17 and still able to run around with the likes of these young guys and compete and do all of these things. That’s more of a pride thing for me than that motivational (thinking of), ‘I want to show you I can still do it.’ ”
Conley isn’t alone in the group of players around his age who are still performing at a high level. Steph Curry graduated high school the same year as Conley. Kevin Durant is just 11 months his junior. LeBron James turns 39 in December. Sure, those are superstars. But there are rarely concerns mentioned about how much they have left to offer.
“There are a bunch of guys that are still playing at a high level, but I’m the old guy. I’m the only one that’s considered old,” Conley said. “So I’m like, ‘Alright, whatever.’ Treat it how you want. I think a lot of that has to do with who I am. I’ll blend in with the team, do whatever needs to be done. As opposed to pushing, like I’m not trying to go score 30 tonight just to show I can still do it. I’m just, like, trying to win the game however we do it. And we’ve got plenty of guys that can handle that assignment.
“So it’s a weird situation, a weird dynamic with what perceptions are.”
But as aware as Conley is about the perception, he does not come off as bothered by it. Because you can think what you want, but Conley knows the truth — the 36-year-old edition of Mike Conley may be the best basketball version of himself to date.
“I think it could be. I think there was a time when I was in Memphis and I had them couple years where I was like, ‘Nobody can stop me’ physically,” he said. “I think now I’m smarter, more mature. I know every moment. I’m not afraid of moments. I can take shots at any point. I think I’m just more comfortable within my game. I don’t need to run 100 miles an hour every second, but I can. I don’t need to try to steal the ball and guard you full court, but I can. Knowing I can do all of it in bits and spurts, and just being smart with it, it’s allowed me to be efficient.
“And I think that’s how I’ve tried to be more as I’ve gotten older. You’re not going to get 17 shots, so be efficient on the 10 you get or the 12 you get. Don’t miss a shot. That’s what I’m thinking in my mind — don’t miss any shots. You get a spot-up three, don’t miss it. They go under a screen, don’t miss it. You’re making all of those. I’m just trying to be 100 percent. That mindset is a little bit different than when I was a little bit younger. I was just going in and trying stuff. So it’s just a different version.”
The Timberwolves need Conley to be at the top of the floor, running pick and rolls with Rudy Gobert. They also need him to chase the likes of Curry and Damian Lillard around hundreds of screens on any given night.
And, most importantly, they need him to direct the team in a masterful way so that all of his teammates can be the best versions of themselves.
It’s impossible to say for sure whether this smart, mature, healthy Conley is a better player than who he was a decade ago. But he certainly is a better fit for the 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves as they aim — under Conley’s guidance — to win a playoff series, and much more.
“You are in the places that you are for a reason at the end of the day. I think that there’s an obvious situation here for me where I can be myself even more so than I’ve probably been in a long time,” Conley said. “In Utah, we had a lot of freedom to do a lot of things. But by the way of the makeup of this team, coming in expected to be a leader of the team, coach has really given me the full plate and said, ‘What do you want? What do you like? I want you to do this.’ The expectation is like, ‘I want you to guard him.’ It’s like, ‘Whoa.’ I’m not used to that.”
But he is ready for it.
“The expectations, along with the freedom they’re giving me,” Conley said, “is all hitting at the right time.”
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