The Utah Jazz have an important decision to make in the offseason. With veteran point guard Mike Conley set to hit the free-agent market at the end of the 2020-21 NBA season, there isn't a shortage of rumors about what his immediate future would be in the league. In a recent report by Tony Jones of The Athletic, Conley remains a priority for the Jazz in the summer, with the team aiming to keep his backcourt partnership with Donovan Mitchell.
“But from a Jazz point of view, there’s not much to debate. Sources tell The Athletic that Utah wants Conley back and will make every attempt to keep the All-Star in a Jazz uniform once free agency opens.”
While Mitchell is easily the best scorer on the Jazz, he's not the table-setter that Conley is. Asking Mitchell to run the point could be counter-productive. In the 2020-21 NBA season, Conley led Utah with 6.0 assists per game to go with his 16.2 points per contest and a 41.2 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Conley's value to the Jazz could be best emphasized by the team's struggles in the playoffs without him. Conley dealt with injuries that held him to only six games in the playoffs. Without him, Utah lost some of its stability, as guys like Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and even Joe Ingles, were forced to play out of their natural positions to help out on the point-guard chores.
His ability to stay healthy is going to be a huge factor for Conley once he gets to negotiate with the Jazz and other suitors.
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