Mike Conley has been a crucial part of the Minnesota Timberwolves over the past two and a half seasons. His blend of playmaking and 3-point shooting is valuable to the Wolves. However, Conley will turn 38 shortly before his 19th season and has shown signs of decline. This past season, he averaged just 8.2 points on 40 percent shooting from the field. Conley can no longer play heavy minutes, but the Wolves might need him to.
What is Conley's role?
Let’s be clear, Conley still provides the Wolves with some value. He is a high-IQ playmaker who orchestrates the offense nicely, and he is a high-level outside shooter netting 41 percent of his triples this past season. Impressively, he posted a +8.2 net on/off difference in the playoffs. However, Conley averaged just six points while shooting 30.2 percent from the field. Conley’s inability to create his shots for himself and declining defense are key issues.
Conley’s minutes declined from 28.9 minutes in the 2023-24 season to 24.7 in the following season. A similar minutes decline could be possible for Conley this upcoming season. However, he is likely to remain a starter and a significant part of the Wolves rotation. Second-year guard Rob Dillingham is waiting for a bigger role and will likely take some of Conley’s minutes.
Nevertheless, it remains unclear how many minutes Dillingham is capable of playing. Plus, even if Rob plays a sizable role, Conley will need to play some rotational minutes. Counting on a 38-year-old guard to play a significant role is risky during an 82-game season and two two-month-long playoffs.
How ready Dillingham is for a bigger role will determine the extent of the Wolves’ Conley problem. If he can soak up 25-27 minutes, the Wolves’ really and truly won’t have to worry about Conley a ton. However, if Dillingham can only play a limited role, this could be a significant problem for Minnesota. Dillingham offers the Wolves more dynamic play both as a scorer and ball handler. Despite quality passing abilities, it’s unclear if he can run an NBA offense, and defense will always be a concern for the 6-foot-1 guard.
The Wolves' options
The Wolves do have two open roster spots and could look to sign someone like Malcolm Brogdon. While Brogdon would be a solution to the Wolves’ point guard conundrum, he would negatively impact Dillingham’s development, and Conley’s role can’t completely disappear. Regardless of Conley’s flaws and age, he is still a serviceable NBA guard. The problem is he can’t play too big of a role. Minnesota is also unlikely to trade Conley given his importance to the team as a veteran and his likely low value.
Ultimately, the Wolves are left in an impossible spot. Do they try to upgrade the roster at the expense of Dillingham’s development and possibly Conley’s role? Or do they believe that Conley can hold up and Dillingham can develop enough for the team to reach their championship aspirations. Given their approach to the offseason, the latter feels likely; however, only time will tell what direction the Wolves choose to lean into.