Mike Conley Jr. talks All-Star snubs, Mitchell/Gobert relationship, and more on The Woj Pod
In the latest episode of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski The Woj Pod, Utah guard Mike Conley Jr appeared to discuss the success of the Jazz this season, his slow start last season, and his thoughts on never being selected as a NBA All-Star. You can listen to part of the conversation in the video at the top of this article. Here’s some highlights from the conversation.
Rough start to his Jazz career
After Mike Conley was traded to the Utah Jazz, he was met with high expectations. The Jazz were coming off a good season, but the consensus was that they were still a piece away from being championship contenders. Many thought that adding Mike Conley would give the Jazz legitimate title aspirations. However, upon arriving in Utah, he probably played the worst basketball of his career. In the podcast he opened up about the difficulty of the transition to Utah. Specifically he mentioned the challenge in discovering how to be more effective playing off the ball. He was a ball-dominant, pass-first, point guard in Memphis and was undoubtedly their best perimeter player. In Utah, he has had to learn how to assert himself throughout the entirety of the game in terms of shot creation and shot finishing. Despite the initial disappointing results (and a nagging hamstring injury) Mountain Mike described last year as “one of [his] favorite years” even if he “couldn’t sleep at night” (the Woj Pod). He cited the Jazz organization and coaching staff as extremely supportive during the slow start, encouraging him to remain patient and let the game come to him. As the season progressed it was clear that the fit could be as good as the Jazz imagined when they made the trade. That progression throughout the season has manifested itself this year as the Jazz are off to their best start in a long time.
The early season success of the Utah Jazz
During the interview, Woj mentioned that as he has talked to GM’s around the league several have pointed out the Jazz as “built for this environment”--referring to the difficulty that has been this pandemic-altered season. Conley confirmed that the culture the Jazz have built through continuity and leadership has improved their chances of succeeding in an unprecedented season. Further, it’s no secret that the Jazz’s two star players, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, have had their riffs--including one incited by the coronavirus. Mike offered some insight into his role in helping these star players overcome their differing opinions, stating that he had individual conversations with each of them and that in those conversations he cited instances of him feuding with his former Grizzlies teammate Marc Gasol. The parallels between Mithcell-Gobert and Conley-Gasol are undeniable. The difference being that the Jazz players have Mike Conley to help them along the way.
All-Star Snubs
“I can’t lie, I still think about it. It’s something in my career that I’ve always kind of strived for”
-Mike Conley on never being named an All-Star
Although Mike Conley got off to a slow start to his Jazz tenure, he is playing some of the best basketball of his career this season. Including leading the league in plus/minus by a wide margin. And while he would have to beat out some other deserving players this could be the year that he finally makes the All-Star team. You can vote for him here.
