A seasoned veteran PG for a playoff run
Conley is 35 years old, but he is a veteran point guard with the NBA experience needed to lead a young team into the postseason. In addition to freeing Anthony Edwards up, this move allows Ant-Man to play off the ball, which in this role, he is more explosive in the open court.—Conley is averaging 10.3 points, 7.6 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 40 games this season.
Rudy Gobert lob dunk, assisted by Mike Conley out of the empty-side PnR pic.twitter.com/GjoibeMVQ3
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) February 17, 2023
Shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 3.5 steals and blocks per hundred possessions this season, which could help the Timberwolves on the defensive end. NAW also has a pretty solid perimeter shot, but he has not been getting enough minutes for that to become a huge factor so far.
Walker could be a threat defensively but needs to improve as a shooter and a playmaker. But, in the right situation, Walker could thrive in this league.
So did the Timberwolves win the three-team trade or lose? Obviously, Conley and Walker don’t add up to what they gave up for D’Angelo Russell. But Russell was a disappointment in last year’s postseason run against Memphis, and he was on the last year of his contract.
Minnesota was unlikely to extend his contract, and now they get a chance to reset with Conley at the helm, and a trio of draft picks for the future.
Nothing is set in stone, but the Phoenix Suns are currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves sit 1.5 games behind them as the eighth seed. The possibility of these two teams meeting up in the postseason is something I’m looking forward to.