Why Chris Finch's Latest Mike Conley Comments Might Be Cause for Concern

After rejoining the Timberwolves during the All-Star break, Mike Conley did not see the floor in Minnesota's return to action on Friday night against the Mavericks. But with the Wolves down two rotation pieces on Sunday, the veteran point guard re-entered the rotation as Chris Finch went ultra-small out of necessity.

The results were...about what you'd expect. Conley changed up his look, sporting a black headband, but his production was similar to what it's been all season. He played 15 minutes, missed both of his shot attempts, and was a -7 in a 27-point loss against the 76ers, though he did chip in four assists and a blocked shot.

This was Conley's first game since February 2 in Memphis. In between, he was traded twice, bought out of his contract, and brought back to Minnesota. And nothing much has changed. Conley has now played roughly 47 minutes over his last three appearances without scoring a point.

With three straight games of 14+ minutes and zero points, he's tied Brian Cardinal (2009) and Damien Wilkins (2010) for the longest such streak in Timberwolves history. Conley has reached those marks in five of his last nine games. No other Wolves player has played at least 14 scoreless minutes more than once this season.

That statistical context is what makes one particular postgame press conference answer from Finch a potential cause for concern among Minnesota fans.

"Mike was great," Finch said. "He competed on the ball, stood his guy up, gives you everything he's got. Probably should've played him a little bit more."

Probably should've played him a little bit more. The guy who is averaging 4.3 points this season? The guy who is shooting 31.8 percent from the floor, the second-worst mark in the NBA among 369 players with at least 100 field goal attempts?

This is not meant to rip on Conley, who has been a huge part of the Wolves' success in recent years and has earned nothing but respect in the state. He's a beloved veteran in the locker room for good reason. Bringing him back after he was bought out by the Hornets made plenty of sense for vibes purposes. And he displayed plenty of self-awareness when he said recently that he doesn't expect to play over Ayo Dosunmu or Bones Hyland.

The concern is about Finch's infatuation with Conley in spite of the glaring evidence that suggests he should be nowhere near an NBA contender's rotation at this stage of his career. Before the trade deadline, Finch playing Conley over Hyland was a source of frustration among fans. And on Sunday night, Conley played 15 minutes to Hyland's 14.

If nothing else, it's something to keep an eye on in Tuesday's game in Portland. The Wolves will get Rudy Gobert back for that game and potentially Naz Reid as well. Perhaps Finch will go back to Friday's rotation, where Reid, Dosunmu, Hyland, and Joan Beringer were the only players to see time off the bench.

But maybe not. Finch's comments on Sunday suggest he might be preparing to put Conley back in the rotation even when the roster is at full strength, despite a mountain of evidence that says that's a bad idea.