]The Minnesota Timberwolves needed Mike Conley to be a scorer when they traded for him at the deadline in 2023. The Wolves ranked 18th in offensive rating (113.3) and shipped out D’Angelo Russell, who gave them 17.9 points per game, to acquire Conley.
“Whether I am deferring and letting other players do their thing, I don’t have to go shoot the ball a lot,” Conley said after the season. “I’m cool. I can pass and do that. But then, some games, I am asked to score. I am perfectly fine scoring and putting up as many shots as I need to put up. I can be efficient while I do that.”
It was the first time in Conley’s career that a team traded him mid-season. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, who traded him to the Utah Jazz in July 2019.
Conley was 35 when he arrived in Minnesota and could have been apprehensive. In his final 43 games with the Jazz, he averaged 10.7 points on 8.7 shot attempts and 7.7 assists, adopting a more pass-first mindset while surrounded by a young roster.
“Over the last few years, a lot of people may have thought that my game has changed or I am not the same person,” Conley explained in 2023. “But in my mind, and every part of my game, I am still the exact same player and can do the exact same things that I was used to doing four or five years ago.”
Conley drew interest from teams before the trade deadline, but he wasn’t sure what the future held during his last season in Utah. Perhaps his career was nearing an end, and he would never have the impact he once did on a contending team. However, Conley’s arrival in Minnesota and how he attacked a different role proved he is still the same player.
One year later, that constant professionalism has revitalized his season.
“When Mike came and joined us last year, we needed him to be an aggressive scorer, and he did that,” Finch told Paul Allen on KFAN in March 2024. “I think he came in thinking he would run the show. This year, with the return of Karl, he’s reverted more to setting the table and making clutch shots. But we need him to be more aggressive.”
Conley averaged 14 points on 9.8 shot attempts and five assists in his first 24-game stint with the Wolves in 2023. He did what the coaching staff asked of him – prioritized looking for his own shots with Karl-Anthony Towns injured, unlocked Rudy Gobert, and gave the Wolves a level-headed presence.
It was different from Will Hardy’s role for Conley during his final season in Utah. Still, Mike approached the new situation head-on and helped guide Minnesota to a playoff berth.
Last season, Conley reverted to a pass-first playstyle. Towns was healthy again, and Anthony Edwards was blossoming into a solidified star. However, the Wolves needed Conley to step up again when KAT went down for 18 games on March 7 due to a knee injury.
Less than a month earlier, Conley inked a two-year, $21 million contract with the Wolves. He’s the fourth-oldest player in the league, but Conley’s extension was a testament to his importance for the Wolves, who held a Western Conference-best 43-19 record when Towns was injured.
Many were concerned that the Wolves would fall the standings after KAT’s injury, similar to what happened with the team when Jimmy Butler suffered a meniscus injury in 2018. When Butler returned, the Wolves coasted from No. 3 in the West to No. 9. However, Minnesota went 12-6 without Towns, who returned with two games left in the regular season.
Over Minnesota’s final 17 games of the season, Conley averaged 15.1 points and 4.9 assists on 50.6% from the floor and 49.5% from deep. He also averaged 10.1 field goal attempts and 6.2 three-point attempts in that span, similar to Mike’s numbers in his first season with the Wolves. In both instances, Finch needed more scoring from Conley.
Even with his career waning, Mike answered the bell both times.
Conley was invaluable to Minnesota’s Western Conference Finals run last season. Tim Connelly traded for Monte Morris at the deadline last season to backfill Mike’s minutes on the bench with another smart point guard. Still, there was no replacement for Conley’s level-headed impact and above-average three-point shooting in Minnesota’s starting lineup.
This season has been different. The Wolves had a 17-17 record on January 4. They have had issues integrating Julius Randle into an ecosystem next to Edwards, and their starting lineup (Conley, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Randle, and Gobert) continuously started games with no energy.
Therefore, Finch made a change, replacing Conley in the starting lineup with Donte DiVincenzo for Minnesota’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 7.
“I talked to [Mike] this morning about it,” Finch said regarding his decision to bench Conley after Minnesota’s 108-106 win. “I kind of asked for his permission to do it, given his pedigree and amazing career. [Conley was all for it. He will do whatever we need him to do. He understood, and I think he was kind of welcoming of it.”
Conley had not come off the bench since December 12, 2022, when he was still with the Jazz. He had only come off the bench 38 times in his career. However, Finch didn’t have to worry about Conley’s ego getting in the way of their decision. Conley was averaging eight points on 34.9% from the floor and 36% from deep until he transitioned to the bench – far from the player he was last year. He most likely knew a change was coming.
Once again, Mike’s commitment to the betterment of his team during a potentially difficult time shined through.
“I told him right away I had no issues,” Conley said regarding the move. “Let’s go, I am ready to go. Nobody knew. I didn’t act any different. I just went out there and continued to lead and be who I am.”
Conley has remained his usually joyful self. He participates in the pregame handshakes with his teammates at the scorer’s table, bopping around with energy, and always has a smile plastered across his face.
As if it was ever in question, Conley remained a vocal leader in his new role, orchestrating Minnesota’s new-look starting lineup from afar while finding a groove off the bench.
Minnesota’s new starting lineup has played 38 minutes together over the last three games. During that time, they have outscored their opponents by ten, recorded a 135.2 offensive rating and a 115.3 defensive rating, and shot 62.7% from the floor and 53.1% from deep.
DiVincenzo’s emergence with the starters has the Timberwolves emphasizing ball movement in the first quarter, deviating away from the black-hole isolation offense the Wolves regularly used to start games earlier in the season.
Overall, Finch and his staff have made a great move. However, in Saturday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota’s new starting lineup was outscored by six points. Finch needed to inject some order into the second half, so he called Conley off the bench with five minutes left in the third quarter and the Wolves down by one.
Minnesota closed the quarter on a 16-12 run. Conley was responsible for seven points in that span (four as the passer and three as the scorer). The Timberwolves ultimately fell 127-125 in a winnable game against Memphis, but Conley was on the floor in the final seconds of the fourth, and the run he started in the third epitomized his play since coming off the bench.
Finch has slightly cut Conley’s minutes over the last four games, which was a goal coming into this season. Finch has also deployed certain lineups that benefit Conley and the team. The Wolves are 4-1 since Mike moved to the bench. Although they let the Grizzlies hang around and beat them, Minnesota has looked closer to the version many thought it would before the season.
Conley has twice received the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award and has always been the ultimate professional. This intangible trait he learned from his father defines who he is on and off the court. Since arriving in the Twin Cities nearly two years ago, Conley’s professionalism is nothing new. However, it has helped revitalize his career multiple times.
Whatever the coaching staff asks Conley to do, he does it with a smile. The Wolves have found something with DiVincenzo in their starting lineup, but Conley is still closing games. He has taken a backseat role, but that doesn’t make Mike’s role any less important. It’s simply different. If the coaching staff ever needs him to start games again and give them more scoring, Conley will not hesitate, and he will probably do so successfully.