ESPN’s The Jump reacted to the Mike Conley to Utah Jazz move. Most are in agreement that this move makes the Utah Jazz better. The question becomes can Mike Conley stay healthy?
“I definitely feel he makes them a better basketball team,” said former coach Byron Scott of Mike Conley. “Because he is one of the better point guards in this league. I think he is underrated as far as a lot of the point guards that you talk about. He’s a guy that can get other guys involved. But Mike can also score. That’s something that Rubio couldn’t do on a consistent basis. I like what the Utah Jazz did with this trade. I like Mike Conley a lot.”
Ramona Shelburne was in agreement but she does believe this trade has a big IF to it.
“This is all going to come down to if he can stay healthy or not,” said Shelburne of the risk this trade involves. “They’ve had Ricky Rubio, and when he was healthy, they were a great basketball team. But when he wasn’t healthy, it put a different kind of pressure on Donovan Mitchell to play in a role he’s not necessarily suited for. If Conley is healthy—and able to play—that puts Donovan more into his natural position which is that scoring combo guard. And then the Utah Jazz have a whole new look.”
I agree with both of them that this gives Utah a whole new look and makes Utah a lot better. The biggest thing for Utah is going to be health as it always has, but that’s a key component for any team. Just look at the Golden State Warriors, they’re without another championship because their health luck ran out. If Utah can stay healthy for two seasons, they have a chance to catch lightning in a bottle and bring Utah a championship. But that is a big IF.