The longtime guard joined the Celtics earlier this offseason.
Earlier this offseason, the Boston Celtics inked veteran guard Mike Conley to a one-year contract. While we haven't heard from Conley directly since the signing, we did get the thoughts of Brad Stevens on him during a recently released episode of Celtics All-Access.
As relayed by Zack Cox of the Boston Herald, Stevens said:
"I think the balance of being able to play at a high level (and) not needing to play every minute of every game is an incredibly valuable thing, and it’s usually reserved for guys that have a good perspective on life. And Mike does — he certainly has that.”
That's certainly true of Conley, who has seen almost everything you can see as a professional. Once he plays in a game for the Celtics, he will be only the 14th player in NBA history to play 20 NBA seasons.
We should hear more from him once training camp opens up in September. The preseason slate begins in early October and Opening Night is Oct. 20.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesAbout Conley
Now 38 years old, Conley was the No. 4 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Ohio State. Over his 19-year career, he's played with the Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. A reliable and durable player, he's a one-time All-Star, and he was also a member of the 2012-13 All-Defensive team.
A career 13.6 ppg scorer, he only averaged 1.7 ppg for Minnesota last season. He also only played 18.4 minutes per game, fitting with Stevens's assessment that he doesn't need to play all 48 minutes in order to be happy.
He's a career 38.7 percent shooter from three-point range and he's also an 82.6 percent shooter at the foul line. While Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Jayson Tatum figure to have the ball in their hands more than anyone else, Conley can certainly be a stabilizer offensively - especially when Pritchard is out of the game.
Also in the news for the Celtics
Speaking of Celtics All-Access, Stevens also had high praise for newcomer Paul George in the episode. George was brought in this offseason in the trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. While he can't necessarily be counted onto play a full 82-game schedule, he should be a big contributor to the C's alongside Jayson Tatum.
We recently took a look at how the construction of the Celtics schedule could impact his availability - and overall ability - this season.
