Utah Jazz: Where do Conley and Mitchell rank among best backcourts in the West?
No.4 – Money Mike and Spida – Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell
But when scanning the rest of the Western Conference, I confidently believe that no other backcourt can match the dynamic nature of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley. As previously stated, Mitchell played at an undeniable All-Star level for the latter half of 2018-19, and if he continues that ascent, he’ll only be more dangerous.
Not only that, but he’s already a gutsy defender who’s set to make further strides on that end and he now has the best point guard he’s ever played alongside in Mike Conley. Conley’s presence should give Mitchell more space to operate, more ability to get to the rim where he’s absolutely formidable, and more chances to convert open looks.
Unlike most of the players on this list, Mitchell hasn’t even scraped his prime years or his ceiling yet, which should have Jazz fans feeling giddy. Combine his already established talent, the leap he should take this year, and the fact that Conley will be an excellent vet addition alongside Mitchell, and it isn’t hard to see why this pairing is a top-4 backcourt in the West.
And let’s not forget about Conley himself! He’s long flown under the radar and been underrated in Memphis, but he’s easily a 20-plus point per night scorer who happens to be coming off the best season of his career despite being 31 years old and being the main focus for opposing squads as the best player on a lackluster Memphis Grizzlies team.
He’ll have a chance to really break out and show what he can do in Utah, and under brilliant head coach Quin Snyder, we could see an absolutely revolutionary season for Conley with the Jazz.
Starting the season as the fourth best backcourt in the West is an awesome place to be. And the good news is that I could easily see Mitchell and Conley soaring up this list. You could make an argument that they already are right on par with Lillard and McCollum, especially due to their edge on defense. The Westbrook-Harden pair is an enormous question mark. And the Steph-Klay combo won’t be in action until late in the year, and even then Klay may play more of a small forward role this year.
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There are also other pairings such as Patrick Beverley and Paul George in LA and the rising duo of Jamal Murray and Gary Harris in Denver, so it feels very much overly optimistic to pin the Jazz as having the potential to reach the status of best backcourt in the West. However, when breaking down each matchup and calculating what the two may be able to do together, it suddenly feels very much in the realm of possibility.
Whether it becomes reality or not, one thing is clear. Mitchell and Conley will be an incredible combo and will help push the Jazz to becoming one of the best teams in the NBA in 2019-20.