Mike Conley's role with the Timberwolves should be crystal clear moving forward

Well, it officially happened: Mike Conley is returning to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was widely reported that Conley would come back to the Twin Cities after being waived by the Charlotte Hornets. Regardless, for financial reasons, this move wasn't made official until today, which is the same day the Wolves had to fill one of their two final roster spots.

With Conley officially back in the fold, I think it's worth discussing what his role with the team should be for the rest of the season. And to me, it's pretty simple: Conley's primary role should be as a veteran leader, meaning his minutes should be limited. 

Mike Conley's leadership is more important than his on-court play

There's no way around it: Conley was too important to the Wolves earlier this season. Despite averaging just 4.4 points and 2.9 assists on 32.2/32.1/89.1 shooting splits, Conley averaged 18.5 minutes. Plus, he posted a minus-6.3 on/off swing per Cleaning the Glass.

Wolves fans rightfully grew upset with Conley's significant role in the rotation. In defense of Chris Finch, though, the Wolves had extremely limited depth before trading for Ayo Dosunmu. Could he have still reduced Conley's role? Absolutely, but the point is, it was at least feasible that Conley was a rotational player given the Wolves' lack of depth.

Now with Dosunmu in the mix, though, this simply can't be the case. If Finch continues to play Conley big minutes, then he deserves to be criticized. While I wouldn't rule it out, I honestly don't think this will be the case, especially given Finch's preference to play a smaller and consistent rotation. 

If the Wolves aren't at full strength, and especially dealing with injuries in their backcourt, sure, Conley can play some real minutes. Regardless, he shouldn't be a mainstay of the rotation, and I think the majority of Wolves fans would agree with this assessment. 

This might sound overly negative about Conley -- but the truth is that he can still provide plenty of value even if he's not playing much. Conley is a fantastic veteran leader who has uplifted this team since his arrival three years ago. The Wolves absolutely still benefit from his presence as a leader. 

At 38, frankly, most players, particularly smaller guards, aren't able to contribute meaningful minutes. There's nothing wrong with leaning into a pure veteran presence role, especially on a team with title aspirations, and I'm sure Conley will take pride in this role. Conley has a fantastic career, but he's clearly now at a different stage, and this year could very well be his last season in the league. 

Even if Conley shouldn't have a sizable on-court role, his impact behind the scenes will be beneficial, and fans should be excited about his return.