Mike Conley will return to Salt Lake City’s snow-capped mountains on Saturday night, when the Jazz host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MST.
Although Saturday’s showdown won’t be the first time Conley faces his former team — the two squads met twice in Minnesota earlier this season — head coach Will Hardy believes Saturday’s return for Conley will be even more special considering how beloved he was by the organization and its fanbase.
“Mike is a special human being,” Hardy said. “I leaned on him a lot last year, not only in the games but in between the games and away from the games. Mike and I are the same age, in similar kind of situations in life. … Mike was really helpful for me because I knew I could rely on him.”
“He’s a special person, special player to me and our organization. … Our fanbase loves Mike. He’s a good one.”
A massive free-agent signing before the 2019-20 season, Mountain Mike was immediately embraced by Utah’s fanbase due to his strong work ethic, brilliant basketball acumen, charismatic smile, and veteran presence.
His addition to the roster was believed to be the missing piece of the puzzle, a veteran point guard who could get the most out of Rudy Gobert and serve as a mentor for Donovan Mitchell. He achieved his first All-Star nod as Utah grew into a championship-caliber squad.
He immediately stepped into the starting point guard role and gave the Jazz a massive lift on offense, scoring 14.4 points on 37.5% shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite entering his 14th season in the NBA the following year, it was a season of firsts as Conley was named to his first All-Star team. He averaged 16.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on a career-high 41.2% shooting from three-point territory. He was instrumental in helping lead the Jazz to the top record in the NBA and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Throughout his time in Salt Lake City, Conley was the steadying presence that kept the Jazz afloat. His respect and maturity in the locker room helped keep Utah focused on its goals
