Mike Conley is living proof that nice guys do indeed finish first.
Okay, maybe Conley never finished first in the biblical sense of winning an NBA championship, but the 37-year-old has done basically everything else. In his 18 NBA seasons, Conley has been named an All-Star, made an All-Defensive team, won the sportsmanship award four times, and helped steer the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals over the last two seasons.
He’s put together a hall of very good NBA career and could realistically retire whenever he wants. But the Timberwolves remain a title contender, and Conley remains a vital piece in Tim Connelly’s vision. Still, how much juice does Conley have left to help get the Timberwolves over the hump?
By most metrics, last season was Mike Conley’s worst in the NBA. In 71 games, Conley averaged 8.2 points, the lowest of his career, 4.5 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 24.7 minutes per game, also the lowest mark of his career. He shot 40 percent from the field, which was the second-worst mark of his career, and 38 percent from two-point range, a career low.
His shooting efficiency was only saved by shooting 41 percent from three-point range, the third-best three-point shooting season of his career, and 90 percent from the free throw line, his second-best mark in the NBA. Conley looked gassed most nights and was held out of several games for rest, which is the natural progression for aging players. Other than LeBron James, everyone has an expiration date. Conley’s seems to be fast approaching, but there are ways to squeeze every last ounce of energy out of his last few seasons.
The Timberwolves didn’t exactly bend over backwards to lighten Conley’s load in the offseason. Minnesota selected Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky in the draft, two players who are a combined 14’3” tall. Nickeil Alexander-Walker left for Atlanta, and they re-signed Naz Reid and Julius Randle to lock down the frontcourt.
Conley and Rob Dillingham are the only true point guards left on the Timberwolves two and a half months before the season tips off. Dillingham showed flashes in his rookie season, but he will need to take a huge step forward and reliably play 20 minutes a night.
Donte DiVincenzo had an up-and-down first season in Minnesota. He struggled with some poor shooting and a severe case of drive and kick to the wrong team disease throughout much of the year. Returning from a toe injury in February, DiVincenzo looked much more like the bulldog who almost willed the critically injured New York Knicks to the conference finals in 2024.
Anthony Edwards just turned 24 and is coming off his best season yet. He’s looking to add more to his already killer skill set, and playmaking has been an area that Ant needs to improve. His 4.5 assists per game last year were a step down from his career high of 5.1 in 2023-24, and his turnovers ticked back up last season. For Conley to get the rest he desperately needs and extend his career to the absolute limit, Anthony Edwards must take a leap forward as a ballhandler and floor general and take command of the offense when Conley sits.
Conley can also take a page out of the notebook of one of his contemporaries and one of the best point guards to ever play. In May, Chris Paul joined LeBron James in the 40-year-old club. Although he’s no longer playing near his peak, Paul is still an effective point guard who can contribute to winning for 25 to 28 minutes a night.
Last season for the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul averaged 8.8 points per game, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on 42.7/37/7/92.4 shooting splits. He did this at 39 on an up-and-coming Spurs team that lost Gregg Popovich at the beginning of the season and was on a trajectory to fight for a play-in spot before Victor Wembanyama’s deep vein thrombosis ended his sophomore season. The Spurs were better when Paul was on the court than when he sat, which is a testament ot how well he’s taken care of himself after 20 seasons in the NBA.
Conley has never been on the same level as Chris Paul, a certified first-ballot Hall of Famer, but the blueprint is there to remain a starting-caliber point guard deep into his late 30s. As I enter my mid-30s, I can only imagine what kind of bodily horrors Mike Conley experiences daily as a 38-year-old. I play computer all day and still need a nap and a shot of whiskey at the end of the day just to carry on. Mike Conley is already a physical freak for lasting as long as he has in the grueling NBA.
Mike Conley may not have much juice left, but he has a dozen younger teammates who would literally carry him to a championship if they could. One of the all-time good guys in the league just needs to hold on for one more season, and maybe he’ll have his best shot yet to finally win one.