Mike Conley winning Sportsmanship and Teammate Awards further solidifies fit with Utah Jazz

In case you needed more proof that Mike Conley will be an excellent fit with the Utah Jazz, look no further than him taking home the Sportsmanship and Teammate Awards at the 2019 NBA Awards Show.

The Utah Jazz landed their primary target this summer by making a blockbuster trade to bring in point guard extraordinaire Mike Conley. For those that have followed Mike throughout his career in Memphis, they knew just what a special player the Jazz were getting. Not only is he a superb scorer, an excellent distributor and an incredible defender, but he’s reputed as an all-around great guy in the locker room and both on and off the basketball court.

But despite all that Conley almost assuredly will bring to the Jazz, there have been some among the Utah faithful that have shown skepticism about the trade. Statements such as “The Jazz gave up too much”, “Conley’s never even been an All-Star”, and “They should have waited and gone for Tobias Harris in free agency instead” are all examples of opinions that surfaced following the Conley trade.

Personally, I found all those thoughts to be absolute uninformed balderdash from the get-go. Mike Conley is a sensational player, as steady and consistent as they come, and one of the best point guards in the NBA. He’ll be a massive upgrade over Ricky Rubio and could very well elevate Utah to an entirely new echelon in the West. Let’s just say, there’s a real reason why several NBA experts are now putting the Jazz in championship contention after adding Conley. He’s that good and that impactful.

And for any remaining doubters out there, some significant results at the 2019 NBA Awards Show only further solidify how wonderfully Conley is about to fit in with the Utah Jazz. At the event, Conley netted a pair of meaningful awards – the Twyman Stokes Teammate of the Year Award and the Sportsmanship Award.

Conley was lauded as someone who is beloved by his teammates and respected by his opponents. He was recognized as an excellent leader and an expert at his craft in every way possible. The awards he won are strong proof that Conley is going to fit the Jazz culture and chemistry perfectly as a selfless teammate, an unfaltering leader and an all-around class act.

If you weren’t excited before, the fact that Conley netted these awards as an outstanding teammate and sportsman, recognized by his peers all around the NBA, should certainly help change your mind. He’s going to be an excellent addition to the Jazz both on and off the court.

Speaking of which, he showed nothing but excitement and joy to be joining up with the Utah Jazz throughout the NBA Awards show. Prior to the event, he specifically spoke about how excited he was for the opportunity as you can see in the clip below. Later on when accepting his award, he exclaimed, “Utah, I’m looking forward to it. Let’s go do something special!

This all comes on the heels of images surfacing of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell already getting acquainted with one another and working out with each other. Conley also had several glittering things to say about the Utah Jazz and his new teammates, including Mitchell.

https://twitter.com/E_Woodyard/status/1143283092913700866

I’ve included some of those from The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen below, but I really recommend you check out this entire thread on Twitter. It’s full of awesome quotes that show how thrilled Conley is, how informed he is about his new team and just how well he’s going to fit.

Honestly, I know Conley has yet to suit up for the Jazz and he still has to prove his worth on this squad. But how anyone can be feeling reservations or unexcited about his arrival to the Utah Jazz is beyond me.

His personality fits the team’s mantra perfectly. His style should allow him to step in seamlessly. He already appears ready to work, jive with his teammates and bring something special to Utah. In every way imaginable, the addition of Mike Conley looks like one of the greatest moves the Jazz could have made.

I know that I, for one, am giddy with anticipation for the 2019-20 NBA season. Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Co. are going to be a dynamic group capable of great things.

It’s time to get excited, Jazz fans. Mike Conley is going to be an amazing addition next season.