Utah Jazz: Mike Conley set to return, will he be new and improved?

Mike Conley is set to return to action for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday against Orlando and ideally he’ll be able to provide a much-needed spark.

The 2019-20 Utah Jazz season hasn’t exactly been roses. Yes, their 15-11 start is their best in the Quin Snyder era and they’ve had some great moments, but by and large their struggles on both ends of the floor have overshadowed any successes they’ve had.

Recently, some of those issues have been a byproduct of the unfortunate absence of point guard Mike Conley, who has missed the last five games with hamstring tightness. Sure, Conley has had his fair share of shooting woes to start the year that has left many feeling hesitant about his production, but there’s no denying that the offense was much smoother run when he was in action.

And so long as Conley gets his shot back to his norms, he and his Jazz squad should be in great shape. Despite some shaky confidence in his stroke, Conley has been able to find his spots and play solid defense, so he’s not all that far away from being the guy the Jazz expected him to be. And even though he hasn’t quite reached expectations thus far, it’s evident that for Utah to reach their utmost ceiling, they’ll need Conley in action and well-acclimated.

With that being the case, Jazz fans are in for some good news ahead of Tuesday’s battle against the Orlando Magic – Mike Conley has been listed as probable for the bout. Considering how determined Conley is to play even when battling discomfort, that report seems like a near guarantee that he’ll be in action.

Hopefully his return will be a catalyst that sparks the Jazz back into gear and nearer their full potential. Yes, they’ve won their last two games and three of their last four. But the win over Golden State was far from reassuring as the Jazz trailed for most of the contest against a meager foe, and the loss in between was to an Oklahoma City team playing on the back end of a back-to-back wherein the Jazz should have had a significant rest advantage.

As weird as it may sound, taking some time away from the court and getting to simply observe his team in action may have done Conley some good and could translate to better cohesion on the floor.

As shared by The Salt Lake Tribune’s Eric Walden, Conley has used his time out of action to learn the team, get accustomed to his teammates’ body language and get better acquainted with how he can best mesh with the squad.

Presumably, he’ll be a little rusty in his first game back after a mini-absence, but hopefully we’ll see a little bit of that learning that he did while sidelined in action. Up to this point, the Jazz haven’t had the greatest chemistry on the court, and if anyone is in the driver’s seat to fix that, it’s Conley.

As the team’s point guard and floor general, it will be up to him to get Utah’s offense thriving. So even if they remain somewhat disjointed on Tuesday as they continue to work out some of their kinks, ideally we’ll see a refreshed Conley who’s a little bit more connected with his teammates than what we’ve seen previously.

Hopefully the time spent watching his squad with more of a bird’s eye view will allow him to develop the insight needed to get this Jazz team back on track. The Jazz were expecting big things when they acquired Mike this offseason, but he’s been unable to deliver as of yet.

While his time away from the court has felt like a burden for an under-performing team, let’s hope it will end up being a blessing in disguise. Hopefully we’ll get a new and improved Conley that’s ready to help his Utah Jazz turn the corner for a successful remainder of the season when he returns Tuesday.