When the news broke of the Boston Celtics bringing in Mike Conley Jr. as their first free agent signing of the summer last month, fans were surprised. There had been no indication that he was a player that they were watching, nor did it seem like he was overly eager to leave the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he’d played his last three and a half seasons in the NBA.
His 20th will come as a member of the Cs. Conley joins a strong backcourt of Payton Pritchard and Derrick White. If Boston rolls with a similar rotation to the one they finished the season with, bringing Pritchard off the bench, then Conley’s minutes could be tough to come by.
Pritchard started the first 50 games of Boston's 2025-26 campaign. He averaged 16.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per outing while shooting 45.6% from the field and 34.8% from three. Once he moved back to the bench after the team trade Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls, his numbers remained the same with his efficiency going way up.
With that being said, it would make tons of sense for the Cs to keep him as a reserve this season.
Mike Conley has plenty to give to the Celtics
Nonetheless, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has no doubt that the former All-Star can make an impact.
"People talk about veteran leadership and they talk about how important vets are. My argument to that would be that good vets are really important," Stevens said as part of the Celtics’ latest installment of Beneath the Banners. "Guys that really have a great understanding of where they are in their careers, how they impact winning and the appropriate amount of expectations from the individual's standpoint.”
There’s no greater epitome of what Stevens is saying here than Blake Griffin. Griffin spent the final year of his pro career with the Cs. He appeared in 41 games and made 16 starts. Though he definitely had some memorable moments on the floor, the real impact came in the locker room and on the bench.
The six-time NBA All-Star brought no shortage of good vibes and veteran leadership with him to Boston. He made such an impression in less than a year that he wound up officiating Pritchard’s wedding.
Maybe Conley will deliver something similar. Stevens believes that he’s capable of doing so.
"I think that's what you get with Mike, and he's still, every time he plays, has a big impact on winning,” Stevens added. “I think the balance of being able to play at a high level and not being able 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 certainly has that."
Last season, Conley saw his production dwindle in Minnesota. He averaged six fewer minutes per game than the season prior, and only posted 4.5 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game off the bench for the Wolves.
Yet, come playoff time, he was still trusted to slide into the starting lineup for five games. The 38-year-old gave Minnesota some efficient points, too. He shot 50% from both the field and from three during the postseason.
Hopefully, he’s still got something left in the tank as he joins the Celtics.
“This is a legendary organization,” Conley said. “I’ve been a fan of the game for a long time and the Celtics have been at the forefront of that. So I’m just excited to be here.”
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