Maybe the time off helped 38-year-old Mike Conley rest up. There was the time off where the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him, then he was soon traded again, then waived, and thus became eligible to return to the Timberwolves, which he did. The 19-year veteran also had a nine-game stretch to begin March, where he didn’t step on the court.
Due to the team being shorthanded, Conley has re-entered the rotation and has appeared in four straight games. He performed well in the first three, but Thursday was a bit of a throwback performance for the former All-Star, particularly in the first half. We know Chris Finch’s affinity for Conley, so could he actually become a part of the postseason rotation?
Conley finishes with season-high scoring total on Thursday
It only took Conley about 1.5 quarters to put up a new season-high in scoring. His previous high was 10, which he had three times, until he dropped 14 in the first half of Thursday’s loss against the Detroit Pistons. The guard connected on four 3-pointers. His scoring was needed as besides Julius Randle, no one else really had it going.
Now, Conley didn’t score in the second half. Playing 22 minutes is probably too much to ask of him at this point. If he were to be a part of the playoff rotation, something more along the lines of 8-10 minutes might be more what to expect him to receive.
What Conley has always done well, and continues to even as he ages, is take care of the ball. In the last four contests, he has tallied 16 assists compared to only two turnovers. Even with his inability to put the ball in the basket consistently for much of the season, his assist-to-turnover ratio is slightly more than five.
Could Conley crack the Timberwolves' playoff rotation?
Assuming full health, Naz Reid, Ayo Dosunmu, and Bones Hyland seem to be locks to receive postseason minutes off the bench (or perhaps Donte DiVincenzo if Finch decides to replace him with Ayo in the starting lineup). Kyle Anderson seems to be in line to get some as well.
That’s already nine, and for much of the last two postseasons, Finch has only gone with eight. Could he really expand his playoff rotation to 10 so he can also include Conley?
My guess will be that Conley ends up falling short of the postseason rotation, but I can’t say that with certainty. I mean, it’s not that long ago that Finch stated that not playing Conley felt like ‘a crime against humanity’.
Last year, when Conley was still in the starting lineup, he shot only 30.2 percent from the field in the playoffs. This season, Conley is averaging just 4.3 points on 31.5 percent shooting from the field. As such, giving him playoff minutes is clearly risky.