Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley returned from a 14-game absence on Saturday night in their 123-101 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert expressed their happiness on having their veteran point guard back, who has been out the past month with a hamstring injury. Both also echoed the same sentiments of how much they need him on the floor.
Mitchell, in particular, discussed about the competitiveness and energy that Conley provides for them on the defensive end, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Mike Conley does some interrupting back, before Donovan Mitchell discusses him: “It’s great to have him back. … The biggest thing I noticed was his competitiveness on the defensive end.” pic.twitter.com/jt1PWQ3QLD
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 19, 2020
The Jazz big, meanwhile, reiterated Conley's importance in their quest to reach their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.
Rudy Gobert, on the return of Mike Conley: “We need him. Like I keep repeating, if you wanna go as far as we wanna go, which is winning a championship, he’s a key piece of what we do. We don’t want to rush him, but it’s great to have him back.” pic.twitter.com/orlutEF9ve
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 19, 2020
Conley came off the bench in his first game back since mid-December. Saturday night was also the first time since his sophomore season that the 32-year old came off the bench. Conley played just 15 minutes and finished with 3 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Utah will likely ease the 13-year veteran back as he gets his legs back underneath him. Likewise, the Jazz may err on the side of caution as hamstring injuries could be tricky if not handled properly. Nevertheless, it seems like Conley feels like he is healthy enough to give it a go.
The Jazz did not really miss Conley that much as they went 12-2 in his absence. That stretch included a 10-game winning streak that the New Orleans Pelicans recently just ended on Thursday. Still, Utah would be all arms in welcoming their steady veteran guard back into the mix.
Conley will likely return to the starting unit at some point when he finally gets his in-game rhythm back. It still remains to be seen who will eventually slide back to the bench.
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