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After finishing the regular season with the best record in the league, the Utah Jazz undoubtedly have their eyes on the prize as they look to win their first NBA championship in franchise history. As for Mike Conley, this is going to be quite a weird way to kick start his journey to a title as he is set face his former squad, the Memphis Grizzlies, in the opening round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. From there, the road will only get tougher for Utah in the bloodbath that is the Western Conference.
If the Jazz want to have any chance to have a deep postseason run, they will certainly need their veteran point guard to play at a high level. Not only will Conley be motivated to win a chip, the 33-year old could also be driven to get one final big bag in free agency before he calls it a career. Conley is in the final year of the 5-year, $152.6 million deal he signed with the Grizzlies back in 2016. Sure, Conley may have gotten his hefty payday five years ago, but he could also earn another one on the way out depending on how he performs in these playoffs with the Jazz.
If Mike Conley wants to boost his free agency stock, Conley must have the same kind of postseason Goran Dragic had for the Miami Heat a year ago. Like Dragic, Conley can potentially bank on a fat 1 to 2 year deal to stay with the Jazz.
The Heat veteran had a magnificent postseason for Miami and was certainly one of the key reasons for their run to the 2020 NBA Finals. Unfortunately, Dragic missed all but two of their series against the Los Angeles Lakers due to plantar fascitis. Despite his injury, that didn't stop Miami from giving the 35-year old a one-year $18 million deal as they look to run it back in these 2021 NBA playoffs.
If Conley, who turns 34 this October, gets close to or even exceeds the level of performance Dragic had for the Heat in the Orlando Bubble and he can help the Jazz to a promising playoff push, Utah could reward him with a nice payday this late into his career.
Mike Conley has already established a pretty good foundation with a strong regular season, wherein he made the All-Star team for the first time in his career. When he played with the Grit and Grind Grizzlies in the mid-2010's, the lefty point guard had a reputation of being an elite playoff performer.
Undoubtedly the best he looked came during their 2017 first round series loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Conley looked like an absolute stud in that series as he went toe-to-toe with former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. Through six games, the former Ohio State standout averaged 24.7 points on 48.5 percent shooting, to go along with 7.0 assists.
He may need to be at that level with the Jazz in these playoffs if they want to prove their standing as the top team in the NBA. Conley struggled in his first season with Utah, but did play great in their crushing first round defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs. In their 7-game loss, Conley averaged 19.8 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from three in the five games he appeared in.
Despite finishing with the best record in the NBA, the Jazz still need to prove that they are legitimate threats. Even though they have been in the playoffs the past four years, Utah has a relatively young team that has not experienced a deep postseason run. Like Dragic, Conley could be the steady hand the Jazz will rely on to control the ship when things get rocky. Vets like Conley become more valuable in the playoffs, as their experience and poise come in handy during these pressure packed games.
If Mike Conley becomes a huge factor in leading Utah to a deep playoff run, his value in free agency should get a massive uptick.
