Utah Jazz: Mike Conley is back in the starting lineup, where he belongs

Seven games back from his lingering hamstring injury, the Utah Jazz have officially moved Mike Conley back into the starting lineup.

The Utah Jazz fell victim to Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers last night, losing their fourth consecutive game. One bright spot, though, was the fact that Mike Conley started at point guard and eclipsed the 30-minute mark for the first time since November.

Conley had been on a solid minute restriction after returning from a hamstring injury that costed him 13 straight games.

It was not a surprise at all to see the Jazz be cautious with their prized off-season acquisition; hamstring injuries are tricky and Conley has a long list of injuries in the past. Easing him back into action as a reserve was the right move, especially with the team playing at such a high level.

Some around the league thought that Conley may be suited for a permanent bench role, but the Jazz never felt the same way. They remained patient and decided to move him back with the starters yesterday against Portland.

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The Utah Jazz may be in the midst of a difficult stretch right now, losing four straight and finally playing against some legitimate competition, but they should feel relieved due to the fact that Conley is healthy enough to reclaim his starting role and take some of the offensive pressure off of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Conley has obviously had his struggles throughout the 2019-20 season, but he’s also had his bright spots. Last night was one of those bright spots, as Conley had a promising outing in his first game back as a starter.

The 13-year veteran finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 9-20 from the field and 4-6 from the three-point line.

On the season, Conley is now averaging 12.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 27.4 minutes of action. He’s shooting 38 percent from the floor and 35 percent from outside.

Now by no means was this a perfect performance, but it is a step in the right direction for a guy trying to find his footing with his new team. He looked great in the first half, getting to the basket and finishing with his patented floater.

He looked healthy, confident and aggressive, providing the Jazz with another ball-handler that can create for himself and others, as well as some extra spacing. He had a tough night defensively, like most of the Jazz players, but he’s proven to be very good on that end of the floor throughout his career.

Now that his minute restriction has been lifted, we can put the “Mike Conley needs to be permanently benched” whispers to bed. As long as he stays healthy, Conley is the starting point guard for this team.

The players, coaches and front office have all shown confidence in the 32 year old, and I think as he gets more and more comfortable in his role, we will all see why.

At the end of the day, this is Mike Conley we are talking about; a player that has been All-Star caliber for the better part of a decade now. He played some of his best basketball a season ago, and aside from the poor shooting, has been good in a lot of areas this season.

If injuries do strike again, fans can rest easy knowing they have players on the roster like Donovan Mitchell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Joe Ingles and even Jordan Clarkson, who have all shown the ability to run this offense.

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Mike Conley and the Utah Jazz still have a ton of work to do in order to accomplish their goal of winning a championship, but they have both shown signs of promise. Now that he is healthy, it’s time to build some confidence and momentum going into the All-Star break.

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