Mike Conley is a beloved veteran who has maintained success for an extended period of time. However, this upcoming season, Conley’s role and minutes should be reduced. Second-year point guard Rob Dillingham is poised for a bigger role. As a result, he should take a chunk of Conley’s minutes. Furthermore, Dillingham’s speed and three-level scoring abilities give him a different element than Conley.
None of this is to say that Conley is a bad player; he still can control the game with his playmaking and provides solid 3-point shooting. Regardless, Conley has shown significant decline as an overall scorer and will turn 38 before the start of next season. At this stage of his career, Conley needs a smaller role to maximize his impact.
Conley's impact and ideal role
This past season, Conley averaged 24.7 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, on 40/41/90 shooting splits. In the playoffs, he averaged just 6 points on 30 percent shooting from the field. Conley’s decline as a scorer is clear, as he averaged career lows in points both in the regular season and playoffs. He lacks burst and struggles mightily to generate rim pressure.
Conley can still be impactful in a smaller role, but he should play around 15-20 minutes instead of the 25-minute range he played this past season. He can no longer handle such a big workload, and it puts him at risk for injury. Plus, after the draft, Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd praised Dillingham’s development and spoke optimistically about him getting a bigger role. After the draft, where the Wolves landed two centers, both point guards roles feel solidified unless Minnesota signs a veteran in free agency.
The Wolves should optimize playmaking next to Anthony Edwards by playing him with either Dillingham or Conley most of the time. It’s even possible that Conley can remain a starter, and the Wolves can optimize their scoring off the bench with Dillingham. Alternatively, if Conley’s offensive decline continues, and Dillingham has a true breakout season, then Conley could be replaced in the starting five. Having Conley as a table setter off the bench is an intriguing option, especially considering the Wolves' scoring options off the bench, including Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Terrence Shannon Jr.
As Conley’s career nears the end, it’s remarkable that he can still provide positive minutes. However, he needs a bit of a reduced role, and luckily, Dillingham is the ideal solution to balance out Conley’s minutes. Overall, giving Dillingham a bigger role and slightly bumping down Conley's minutes feels like a logical move.