Utah Jazz: Who can step up to fix the broken bench?

Mike Conley, your new Sixth Man

Earlier this season the excuses for Mike Conley were learning to play in a new system, playing with a  center not named Marc Gasol, and finding a routine different than the one he used for 12 years in Memphis.

But the trade was completed nearly six months ago, and other NBA players have had to deal with the same thing (although none of them spent 12 years in the same city before being uprooted). The real reason behind Conley’s lackluster play is he needs the ball in his hands to be at his best.

His backcourt mate in Memphis was either OJ Mayo or Tony Allen for the longest time, and when the Grizzlies Grit n Grind era drew to a close, Conley found himself surrounded by young and raw NBA players. He didn’t have a choice but to take over.

He averaged a career high 21.1 points per game last season, albeit for a 33-49 Memphis Grizzlies team. His roster situation in Utah is vastly different from that of Memphis last season. Donovan Mitchell is the established leading scorer, and Bojan Bogdanovic is off to a hot start and deserves touches to get his 20+ points. Rudy Gobert can score 16-20 points when he gets his feeds in the right spot, and Joe Ingles has earned Quin Snyder’s trust as a primary ball-handling option when needed.

Mike Conley is stuck in the middle of it all trying to find his groove as well as get his teammates going as part of his point guard duties. Meanwhile Kemba Walker, who was tied in rumors to the Utah Jazz last summer, is off to a fantastic start in Boston.

The Celtics let Walker go right to work as the team’s best player, and there is clear pecking order established with Gordon Hayward being the number two option and Jayson Tatum the third wheel (or Jaylen Brown depending on the night).

For the Jazz, the first option is Mitchell or Bogdanovic, whoever is having a better shooting night. Then scoring options 3-5 depends on who steps up to the plate: it could be Rudy Gobert (which I’ve liked best so far), Jeff Green, Joe Ingles, or Conley. That pecking order has frequently rotated throughout the season.

Making Conley the sixth man for the Jazz would give him more of an ideal situation allowing Conley to take charge. I’m not the first to have this idea, as Tim MacMahon recently suggested it in an interview with Spence Checketts of ESPN 700 Sports:

"“He’s clearly not comfortable, and I wonder if the way this is going…, if Quin doesn’t try something drastic and bring him off the bench where it is more of the role he’s used to… maybe Mike Conley as a max salary sixth man is something drastic worth trying for the Jazz.”"

The only problem is the Jazz did not acquire Conley and his 30 million dollar salary intending for him to be a sixth man. They still have high hopes that he can figure it out. After all he is a smart player, Quin is a smart coach, and Mike still has plenty left in the tank. Additionally, his mere presence on the court has opened up space for Mitchell and the Jazz offense to go to work, even when Mike’s shot isn’t falling.