Mike Conley is getting his first start of the season for the Celtics against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night, and honestly, you gotta wonder what Joe Mazzulla is cooking up. This is a wild move, considering Conley has mostly been on the outside looking in, barely cracking the rotation.
Conley’s Unexpected Opportunity
Seriously, this is a curveball. Conley only played a season-high 11 minutes just last Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. And let’s be real, his numbers this season, his 20th in the NBA, are career-lows across the board. We’re talking 3 points and a measly 0.3 assists in just 7 minutes per game over three appearances. It’s tough to see a veteran like that on the stat sheet. But despite those numbers, he’s getting a rare chance to see some real run tonight.
Before the season kicked off, Conley, who’s been a starter for most of his career, told CelticsBlog that he understood mentorship was going to be a huge part of his gig, even if his minutes varied. He said, “It’s part of the job at this stage of my career. I understand it. I understand there’s going to be a lot of times where I don’t play. There’s going to be some times where I’m needed. There are other times where I’m just needed to be the voice for a big stretch of the season. Being comfortable with that, and being able to own that, is my role and my job.” You gotta respect that veteran mindset, right?
And to his credit, even without the minutes, he has been a crucial voice in that locker room. Payton Pritchard, for one, has apparently been grilling him with questions all season long. Pritchard praised him, saying, “As somebody that’s looked up to Mike, [I ask him] how he thinks of the game and how he was able to create his shots and create shots for his teammates and maybe handle playing the point guard position, momentum swings. He’s been in a lot of great environments, great playoff series. How was he able to kill in those moments and dominate the game?” That kind of leadership, even from the bench, is absolutely gold.
The Ever-Shifting Celtics Lineup
This isn’t the first time Mazzulla has rolled the dice with the starting five, not by a long shot. The Celtics’ starting lineup has been a moving target all season. Their most popular group this year has been Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta. That’s the unit that powered them to a dominant 119-80 win over the Charlotte Hornets just Friday night.
But Mazzulla loves to tinker, doesn’t he? Hugo Gonzalez got three starts in place of Walsh, while Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman each snagged a single start earlier in the season. Mitchell Robinson was the starting center for the first five games before Queta took over that spot. When you look at who’s mostly been out of the regular rotation this season, it’s Conley, Chris Cenac Jr., and Ron Harper Jr., with Cenac Jr. currently down with the Maine Celtics. So, yeah, Conley getting the nod tonight is a definite shake-up.
What does this mean for the Celtics as they face the Bucks on Sunday night? Will Conley’s veteran presence and ability to play extended minutes pay off, or is this just another experiment in Mazzulla’s ongoing lineup roulette? It’s going to be fascinating to watch how this plays out against a tough opponent.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Celtics Blog.
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