A Whole New Game: Conley’s Return to Form Could Help Utah Fill a Void

Utah’s success in the bubble may come down to Jazz’s marquee addition from last summer. (Ron Turenne via espn.com)

For the last two seasons the Utah Jazz have had their playoff runs cut short by the Houston Rockets. Much of this had to do with an inability to respond offensively to former MVP James Harden and his supporting crew of offensive weapons.

In response, upper management decided to gut a large part of their former roster in order to bring in some more offensive talented players. The trade for Mike Conley — in exchange for Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder and the Jazz’s 2019 first-round draft pick — was the first move. The second was to sign free agent Bojan Bogdanovic, who was coming off his best season in the league with the Indiana Pacers.

This was an exciting summer for Jazz fans as the team showed it was willing to take a gamble in order to improve offensively. How those acquisitions played out, however, came as a surprise to many.

While many expected Conley to step in as the second offensive option behind Donovan Mitchell, it was Bogdanovic who stepped into the role, averaging 20.2 points per game on .447 shooting and .414 from 3-point territory before the NBA shut down in March. Bogdanovic also won over the hearts of Jazz fans with game winners against the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets. Even while the highly anticipated and hyped-up Conley battled injuries and struggled to meet fans’ expectations, the team was thriving behind the scoring of Mitchell and Bogdanovic. As of the stoppage, they were fourth in the highly competitive Western Conference with a .641 winning percentage.

However, unknown to most, Bogdanovic was playing with a ruptured scapholunate ligament in his wrist from an injury he sustained early in the season. On May 19, while the league was still assessing its options for a resumption of the season, Bogdanovic had surgery to repair the ligament and officially ended his season. While this was a smart long-term decision, it means Bogdanovic won’t participate in the NBA Restart, leaving the Jazz without one of their major offensive contributors. It begs the question: how that void will be filled.

While the Jazz have many other weapons under their belt, they should look no further than that other offseason acquisition.

It’s no secret that Conley has had his share of struggles since putting on a Jazz uniform. Conley averaged 21.1 points and 6.4 assists per game last season in Memphis, but just 13.8 and 4.3, respectively, to date with the Jazz. But what many don’t realize is just how different playing for the Jazz has been compared to Memphis. Conley had only played for one team his entire career and for the last few seasons he was their number one source of offense. Coming to Utah he knew he would no longer be the number one on a team with a dynamic scoring guard in Mitchell, but he finds himself behind Bogdanovic, Gobert and even Jordan Clarkson in terms of his 2019-20 scoring average.

But Conley is now provided with an opportunity. More touches and shots. Bogdanovic averaged 14.8 field goal attempts per game and while Ingles will be replacing him at the small forward position and in certain Utah sets, it is Conley who should be taking several of those extra shots and possessions. With a .405 FG% and .376 3P% Conley can be trusted and expected to produce at a higher rate in the NBA Restart.

What also gives the Jazz and their fans hope is how Conley has looked in the three exhibition games the Jazz have played. He averaged 15.6 points on 53.4% shooting as he took the most field goal attempts on the team in two out of the three games.

This is exactly what the Jazz need, a confident Conley taking more shots and producing offensively. He needs to have the confidence he had in Memphis and be prepared to exercise his veteran leadership as the Jazz are guaranteed a spot in the post season. If he can get going along with Mitchell, Gobert, and the rest of the squad, the Jazz will be a team nobody wants to face inside the playoff bubble.