Before the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder started, everyone tried to turn it into Anthony Edwards vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But what if the most important player on the Timberwolves is not Ant, but Mike Conley?
Why Mike Conley Is the X-Factor to Beat the Thunder
Through two games, Conley is the only Timberwolves player with a positive plus/minus. He was plus-five in Game 1, despite Minnesota losing by 26 points. In Game 2, he was even better, plus 14. For comparison, Ant was minus 23 in Game 1, and minus 22 in Game 2. With the series shifting back to Minnesota, the Timberwolves need to find answers and do it quickly. One possible solution is to play Conley more.
How Does Conley Help the Timberwolves?
Through two games, one thing is certain. The Thunder are going to send waves and waves of defenders, and score in bunches on transition points and points off turnovers. Their entire scheme is based on stealing the basketball, getting hands on passes, and creating chaos for ball handlers for as long as possible.
Conley is a vet with 18 years of experience in the league and has always been great with the ball. He has never averaged more than 2.4 turnovers, and that was back in 2012-13. For the last five seasons, he has averaged less than two per game. In the playoffs this year, he averages 0.8 turnovers playing 24.5 minutes per game.
Edwards has improved his handle, but he is still far from a great ball-handling player. Ant is not a point guard, nor should he play like one. For context, he averaged 3.3 turnovers per game last season in the playoffs, and this season, he is at 2.3. He had four in Game 1 and zero in Game 2. Nevertheless, every game, he is susceptible to terrible passes or getting picked for a fast break.
The Timberwolves have also used Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo, but they are not point guards, either. Mike is the only true point guard. Of course, they have Rob Dillingham, but asking a rookie to contribute to the team in the Conference Finals is a bit too much.
Can the Timberwolves Afford to Play Conley More?
Mike hasn’t played more than 30 minutes per game since the 2022-23 season. And even then, he averaged 30.3 minutes per game. We have to go back to the 2018-19 season in Memphis, the last in which Conley was counted for big minutes (33.5 per game).
He averaged 24.7 in the regular season this year, and so far, 24.5 in the playoffs. He played 23 minutes in the first game, and 28 in the second. The question for Minnesota is can they squeeze two or three more minutes out of Conley?
And what is the tradeoff? He is not a good defender, at least not at this age. Yet, Conley helps with transition defense by preventing turnovers. Minnesota doesn’t have a lot of adjustments to throw at the Thunder, and maybe Mike Conley can be their answer to the suffocating defense OKC plays. So far, he is the only player with a positive plus/minus.
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