The J-Notes
Fansided

Utah Jazz: Most intriguing individual matchups series – Pacific Division

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 25: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz on March 25, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 25: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball against Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz on March 25, 2019 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 27: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors shakes hands with Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies on March 27, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 27: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors shakes hands with Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies on March 27, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry vs. Mike Conley

Even when Kevin Durant was a member of the Golden State Warriors, it was no secret that (much to KD’s occasional chagrin) it was still Stephen Curry‘s team. With KD now departed, the first-ever unanimous MVP and sharp-shooter extraordinaire Curry will solidify that role even further this upcoming season. Once again, he is the Warriors’ indisputable top dog and will have to carry them much like he did in his MVP glory days.

As such, expect Steph to put on an absolute show in 2019-20 and for him to be one of the most electrifying players to watch in the entire NBA. And with that being the case, the matchup he’ll face when going up against Utah’s point guard newcomer Mike Conley will be a spectacular one. Conley is no Steph, make no mistake about that, but Conley is one of the best point guards in the league even if he has been underrated throughout his career.

He also will be able to attack Steph offensively much more effectively than Ricky Rubio was able to the past two years. One of the knocks the Warriors have against them this upcoming season is that after losing so much talent and depth, and particularly with Klay Thompson injured and newcomer D’Angelo Russell being less than a stirring defender, Curry will now be forced to play more defense than he’s accustomed to.

In recent seasons, Curry has been able to kind of hide defensively while studs like Thompson, Durant, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala shoulder that load. Three of those four guys are now either off the Warriors or, in the case of Klay, hurt, so that dynamic is going to change significantly.

Therefore, while Curry will no doubt continue to be a lights out shooter against Conley and every other opposing point guard in the league, Conley may very well be able to take advantage of his lackluster defense and feast as well.

Considering that the Memphis Grizzlies were in rebuild mode the past two years, it’s a bit tough to get a sense for how Conley matched up with Curry and the ever-dominant Warriors. That’s especially true considering that Conley missed nearly the entirety of the 2017-18 season.

But if we go back to the 2016-17 season, the last one in which the Grizzlies made the playoffs, Conley’s numbers against Curry and the Warriors are quite encouraging. In a trio of games versus Golden State, Mike posted averages of 25.3 points, 50 percent shooting from the field, 52.4 percent from three, 9.3 assists and 1.7 steals.

Sure, that’s a pretty small sample size, but Conley was definitely able to shine against Curry that season. Now, with Mike enjoying a far more bolstered supporting cast around him whereas Steph’s has shrunk, we may be able to see that kind of success to an even greater degree.

Then again, Curry has also enjoyed success against Conley, so it would be far from a one-sided affair. The greatness of both players is exactly what will make this individual matchup such an appealing one in all four meetings in 2019-20.

Scheduled Contests:

  • 11/11 Utah at Golden State
  • 11/22 Golden State at Utah
  • 12/13 Golden State at Utah
  • 1/22 Utah at Golden State
Home/Jazz News