It’s a see-saw season for the Minnesota Timberwolves so far. They did not make drastic changes but they did decide to remove their long-time starter and veteran Mike Conley from the first five and replaced him with Donte Divincenzo.
Insiders said it is about long term goals and not about the one-time All-Stars ability.
“Conley, 38, is still a reliable game manager, but he has lost several steps and played just 25 minutes per game last season,” ESPN’s Zach Kram wrote about this Wolves decision.
“Donte DiVincenzo would be a more dynamic fit in the Timberwolves’ starting lineup — especially if they feel comfortable giving Edwards more control of the offense as his ascent continues.”
Conley becoming the sixth man had a negative effect on his production. He scored just nine points in his first three games, zero in 18-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Head coach Chris Finch decided to tap him to become a starter to replacement for Anthony Edwards in loss to the Nuggets and this time, Conley had his best game so far. He recorded his most minutes at 26 and scored in double digits at last.
Mike Conley has hard time from the bench
Conley opened up about his new role. He is not objecting about his relegation to the bench but he finds it hard to adjust about his minutes logged.
“Honestly it’s been alot, you know? Not knowing if I would play ten minutes or like five or start or not. Um it’s kind of a shock in that aspect to get ready for the game,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“For my job sense I’ve been here it’s just been to be ready to play and to try and help these guys as much as I can.”
Right now, there is not certainty if Conley will be back in the starting role as Divincenzo is doing great as a starting point guard.
However, he might have that role for quite a while as Edwards still deals with right-hamstring tightness which will need utmost care to recover from.
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