As he sat on the bench and watched the Utah Jazz end their postseason early, Mike Conley refused to entertain the what-if scenarios. After all, the top-seeded Jazz lost a second-round series to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games and squandered a 2-0 deficit partly because of Conley’s absence. He remained sidelined for the first five games because of a right hamstring injury before playing limited minutes in Game 6.
“It’s tough, but it is part of the game and the playoffs,” Conley told USA TODAY Sports. “We understand that. It makes us hungrier to go after it again.”
The Utah Jazz considered it their biggest off-season priority to retain Conley, and they agreed to a three-year, $72.5 million deal on the first day of free agency.
Conley earned his first All-Star appearance while averaging 16.4 points on efficient shooting from the field (44.4%) and from 3-point range (41.4%) along with 6.0 assists. Because of salary cap rules, the Jazz could not sign another player at Conley’s level. The Jazz also remained optimistic that the 33-year-old Conley would not have serious health issues entering his 15th NBA season.
