Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley will be returning to his old stomping grounds as his team will visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Now playing for a different organization, the 33-year-old playmaker voiced his opinion regarding the young promising players that are currently headlining his former team.

Via Evan Barnes of Commercial Appeal:

“The way that they go out and work night in and night out, they embody what it’s like to be a Memphis Grizzly.” Conley said. “Over the years, they don’t quit. They got young superstars in Ja and Jaren (Jackson Jr.) and great pieces around them. It’s just a fun team to actually watch and compete against.”

Conley, who got named as an All-Star this season, played 12 seasons with the Grizzlies from 2007 to 2019. During his time in Memphis, he became part of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2013 and led the squad to numerous postseason appearances.

Their best finish in the playoffs was during the 2012-13 season when they met the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Despite having Marc Gasol who was at his peak at the time, the Grizzlies still succumbed in a 4-0 series loss to fall short of reaching the NBA Finals.

Conley managed to etch his name in Grizzlies record books as he became the team's all-time leader in career points which he achieved by the end of the 2018-19 season. In the following offseason, he was eventually traded to the Jazz as the Grizzlies wanted to acquire younger pieces and head to a rebuild.

Memphis didn't turn out bad as it snagged Ja Morant with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He also became the Rookie of the Year in his first season in the league while playing alongside the Jaren Jackson Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, and Brandon Clarke, among others.

As a player who also made a name for himself with the team, Mike Conley would definitely want the young squad to succeed and be able to bring Memphis back on the map. Hopefully, the amount of talent that the Grizzlies currently have will be enough to land them their first championship crown in the years to come.