The trade that sent Mike Conley from Memphis to Utah this offseason was one of the first major deals completed, and got buried under a flurry of free agency news, as All-NBA players like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook changed teams.
Still, the Jazz‘s acquisition of Conley could ultimately end up being one of the summer’s most impactful moves. Utah has finished in the top five of the Western Conference in consecutive seasons and now has a third standout player to complement defensive anchor Rudy Gobert and up-and-coming star Donovan Mitchell.
Speaking to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Conley said that he’s excited to play alongside Mitchell in Utah’s backcourt, calling the 22-year-old a “special player” and suggesting that the two guards will help each other alleviate pressure from opposing defenses.
Conley also spoke about several other topics during his conversation with Kennedy, which is worth checking out in full. Here are some of the highlights from the Q&A:
On getting used to no longer being a member of the Grizzlies:
“It’s still an adjustment. Even just hearing people call my name out and saying ‘Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz,’ it doesn’t even equate yet (laughs). I’m still trying to get used to that and waiting for it to become normal. It’s a new beginning, a new journey, a new challenge and I love that. You don’t get blessed with opportunities like this very often. I feel like I’m in a blessed situation to be part of this organization and hopefully do something special while I’m there.”
On his first impressions of Utah:
“The people, the fans, have just been so welcoming. My family and I really enjoyed ourselves in the two or three weeks that we’ve been able to spend there. Everyone is just so excited! The Jazz organization is top-notch in every way. Coach Quin [Snyder] is one of the best out there and we have a really good roster. We have all of those in one bottle, so we have a lot going on and it’s going to be exciting.”
On the Jazz’s goals for 2019/20:
“After talking to Coach Quin, we all realize what the ultimate goal is – and it’s everyone’s ultimate goal – and that’s winning a championship. We know that. Are we going to achieve the daily goals to become a champion? … That’s what it boils down to. I think we’re at the stage where we’re just working and trying to stay humble and stay focused and respect the game. At the end of the day, if we [achieve our daily goals], we have a good enough team, a good enough organization and good enough coaches to give ourselves a chance.”
On whether he’d be interested in coaching after his playing career is over:
“Yeah, I think coaching is kind of the natural progression for me. I think that’s something that I’d definitely enjoy, whether it’s coaching kids at any level or [coaching] all the way up to the NBA. It’s such a passion of mine, this game, and it’s something that I know so much about. And it’s one of those games that you can never figure all the way out, and I think that’s one of the things that I love about it. Hopefully I can continue to give back as much as possible.”
And what does he think about being passed over by Popovich/Colangelo?
He ain’t as good as Kemba/Fox & the ones that pulled out like Lillard or Harden, so it would have been surprising to see him in Team US, decent player but not great, ageing as well.
Conley has better overall stats than Walker though it is close. They both featured on bad EC teams. Last year:
link to basketball-reference.com
Conley & Lowry best Walker under the “100poss” stats: assist/TOV and net ORtg-DRtg. Conley & Walker best Lowry under “advanced” stats: PER & BPM.
Versus Europeans, Conley is faster and Fox is faster still so those should be 1 and 2.
Breaking news, Lowry with his thumb has withdrawn, but I don’t think Conley is next up IRL. They might use Smart and Mitchell as backup PGs. Again, between Conley, Smart & Mitchell, Conley ranks highest. 3pt % are nearly identical, but Conley is way better as a PG and statistically overall.
link to basketball-reference.com
I agree with you on the fact he’s aging, but that’s it.
I just don’t understand all the nothing but ‘good media’ on Mike Conley…he is fine as an average player…he is not fine as a $30m PA + player.
Personally I didn’t mind Rubio in Utah, it gave Mitchell more of the ball in his hands which turned out to be a good thing.
No doubt they should be a better team this year though…but c’mon…all this Conley praise is a little like trying to polish a piece of s#&t…
He is a good, solid player…not a max.
Conley is a top tier guard who plays defense and makes things positive happen. I like Rubio, but Mike is an upgrade, mainly because he can consistently hit a j. he got overpaid due to the small market. That said, he was a 20 mil guard at the time.
Injuries have hurt, but he’ll age better than most guards who think their legs will be young forever…Westbrooke, wall… And other all ball no d coast to coast hero ballers.
Utah had a great off season…and I’m not even a fan.