Utah Jazz: 2 studs and 1 dud from win vs Houston
Utah Jazz dud: Mike Conley
In all reality, there isn’t much to see here. Mike Conley had a bad game last night. That’s something that happens to even the steadiest NBA contributors. Nonetheless, if one had to identify a dud from the Jazz’s performance last night, it was Conley.
The veteran point guard fell short in terms of both volume and efficiency last night. He finished with 6 points on 2/7 shooting from the field, 4 assists and 2 turnovers in 24 minutes.
It’s hard to cobble together any sort of explanation for Conley’s performance. It certainly can’t be credited to the Rockets’ defense. Conley was just passive, almost playing as if he knew his shot was off, deferring to teammates with secondary passes and opting to work off the ball.
Maybe that’s the best explanation: Conley knew his shot was off. He’s made a career out of picking and choosing spots as a point guard who is capable of elite offense production, but can also get comfortable playing a secondary role. Last night he simply did a lot more of the latter. Utah Jazz fans should not waste any time worrying about it.
Next. The case for and against the Jazz trading for Terrence Ross. dark
Ultimately, this was a case of the Utah Jazz winning a game they were supposed to. It’s still a cause for celebration: at the end of the NBA season, nobody pays attention to where the wins on the team’s final ledger came from.