Mike Conley will suit up in a different uniform for the first time in his career, yet he has an aggressive mindset going into this new venture with the Utah Jazz after spending his first 12 years with the Memphis Grizzlies.
His addition bolstered a team that already had hopes of making the playoffs this upcoming season, boosting them to a potential championship contender with a strong core of players in a proven system:
“Well, after talking to Coach Quin [Snyder], we all realize what the ultimate goal is – and it’s everyone’s ultimate goal – and that’s winning a championship,” Conley told Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. “We know that. Are we going to achieve the daily goals to become a champion? Whether that be getting the most out of each other every practice and shootaround, making sure we’re 100 percent locked in before games, making sure we’re always on time with nobody wandering in late, sacrificing different things in between the lines… Are we doing those things every day? That’s what it boils down to.”
Conley is the much-awaited piece Donovan Mitchell has been waiting for, someone who can take the scoring and ball-handling pressure away from him and facilitate his abilities as a spot-up man, which should only bode well for his percentages. But the recent addition won't make any conjectures just yet, instead focusing on the work ahead:
“I think we’re at the stage where we’re just working and trying to stay humble and stay focused and respect the game,” said Conley. “At the end of the day, if we do all of the things I said, we have a good enough team, a good enough organization and good enough coaches to give ourselves a chance.”
The Jazz are a potential dark-horse candidate to make a deep run in the playoffs, especially if a well-studded core of Mitchell, Joe Ingles and Rudy Gobert can jell well with Conley and incorporate him quickly into the season.
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