Mike Conley has had a wonderful NBA career. Now in his 19th season, Conley likely isn’t quite a future Basketball Hall of Famer, but he is someone who should see his jersey retired by the Memphis Grizzlies after he decides to hang them up.
Now 38 years old and in his third full year with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Conley lost his starting point guard role entering the season. It may now be time for him to lose his spot in the rotation as well.
Conley gone scoreless the past two outings
All season, it has been an issue for the Wolves as they have tried to find a reliable second bench piece that could consistently put the ball in the basket. Naz Reid is as productive as they come amongst reserve players, but who else?
Playing 37 minutes total in the last two outings, Conley hasn’t scored a single point. The 6-foot-1 guard missed all seven of his field goal tries in those two games (0-4 from 3-point range).
Mike Conley last 37 minutes. 0 points. 0-7. Can’t be a rotation player on a serious contender anymore
— Wilder Adams (@whatsontapnba) January 21, 2026
In his 30 games as a reserve this season, Conley is posting averages of just 3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 16.5 minutes. Part of the reason he has been valuable in his time with Minnesota is his ability to be a knockdown 3-point shooter. Instead, when coming off the bench, Conley has only connected on 31.3 percent of his 3-point tries.
This isn’t to say that Conley is finished. He still takes great care of the basketball and gives full effort on the defensive end. For what Minnesota needs off their bench, though, Conley is no longer able to provide it.
Hyland has been the more consistent scorer for Minnesota
I’m not going to suggest Rob Dillingham to be the one to take Conley’s minutes. It seems as if Chris Finch is willing to play anyone other than Rob at this point. The point is that Finch's continued high minutes for Conley are costing the team.
It was still a bit odd to see Conley receive 16 minutes in the disappointing loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, while Bones Hyland played just under five. Hyland didn’t even play in the second half (neither did Joan Beringer, other than the final 18 seconds of the third quarter).
Conley can still provide value as a deep bench piece. The team isn’t going to go the rest of the season without players needing to sit out. Right now, the bench needs more punch, and the Timberwolves have better options (such as Hyland) to provide that.