Chris Finch seems like he will never let go of the idea of playing Mike Conley. When many in the fan base earlier this year pointed out his struggles at both ends, Finch continued to play the 38-year-old 15-20 minutes per night.
Since his brief time away from the team after Minnesota traded Conley (he was traded again and subsequently waived, which allowed Conley to rejoin the Wolves), he has remained out of the rotation. Finch gave him a surprise start on Wednesday, and he showcased at times why Finch has been so fond of him, even with his numbers being way down this season.
Conley was fine in his start on Wednesday
For the fifth straight outing on Wednesday, Anthony Edwards was sidelined with right knee inflammation. Ayo Dosunmu missed his first game since joining the Wolves with a sore right calf.
Most assumed it would be Bones Hyland entering the starting lineup with those two out of action, but instead it was Conley.
Wednesday was his first time as a starter since January 26. The numbers don’t pop out from his performance, as he scored just five points on 2-of-6 shooting.
The 19-year veteran isn’t going to score as he did in his earlier days, but he can still take care of the basketball and run an offense. Conley dished out six assists against Houston while turning it over just once. He also had possessions where he hounded Reed Sheppard on the defensive end.
Conley could earn some spot minutes in the future
It was on Tuesday when speaking to the media that Finch discussed how difficult it has been to not have Conley in their rotation. The Wolves head coach said,
“It's been one of the hardest things I've ever done in coaching, to be honest with you... Particularly with who he is as a person and a professional, and everything that he's done for us. Feels like a crime against humanity.”
A crime against humanity is an…interesting way of describing it. Most fans would say that it should have happened a long time ago. On the year, Conley is averaging just 4.2 points and shooting only 31.5 percent from the field.
Once Edwards and Dosunmu are back, which could be on Saturday, Conley will likely find his way back to the bench. It was good to see against Houston that he’s still capable of playing valuable minutes. Actually, maybe Conley won’t be back to not seeing any time. Would it really surprise anyone if Finch sees this as a way to at least give him situational minutes?