When the Celtics signed Mike Conley to a veteran's minimum contract at the start of free agency, the idea was pretty clear that he’d serve as an experienced leader as much as a backup point guard. The 39-year-old Conley is set to enter his 20th season in the NBA, and his best days are firmly in the rearview mirror at this point.
Still, the Celtics wasted no time in bringing him in as one of the first signings of free agency, showing how much they value his leadership, maturity, and everything he brings to the table in the locker room.
We’ve already heard Mike rave about joining this team and what it means for him to play for a legacy franchise like the Celtics as he tries to win a championship for the first time in his long, illustrious career.
And we’ve also seen Conley’s leadership on full display as he has talked about the role he has taken on in mentoring another budding point guard, Payton Pritchard, and how he has been a part of team-bonding and building chemistry as a group in the offseason.
Mazzullla put Conley in charge of Boston's subs for win over Hornets
Everyone kind of assumed that Mike would be as much of an assistant coach in uniform as he would be a player for this team, but that went to a whole other level on Wednesday night as Joe Mazzulla actually handed over substitution duties for the evening.
During the game, Conley was seen holding a piece of paper and signaling to his teammates as they were going in and out of the contest, and after it went final, a 114-93 win over the Hornets, Conley shared that Mazzulla had actually asked him how he felt about being in charge of the team’s rotations for the night, a role which he graciously accepted.
Conley can make an impact with leadership
Conley spoke about how this was a new experience for him and how he came in with a set idea for the rotation, only to be faced with tough decisions relating to things like foul trouble, fatigue, a hot streak, and more.
This is just the latest example of Mazzulla empowering his players and staff; he actually stayed in the locker room for the team’s first preseason game, as he turned over coaching duties to his assistants for the night. It also shows how much trust he has in Conley and how much they value his knowledge, experience, and input.
The Celtics have one of the deepest rotations in the league, and they are going to destroy people with depth this season. They don’t exactly need Mike Conley the player, but that doesn’t mean they can’t utilize his skills, and that he can’t make an impact in helping this team compete for a title. Seeing it on display like this in the preseason is extremely cool, and hopefully it’s a sign of what’s to come for the well-respected veteran, who may well have a job of his own on Mazzulla’s staff before long.
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