Mike Conley compares Rudy Gobert and his influence to LeBron James, Stephen Curry: "People gameplan for him" (Exclusive)
The comment made Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley laugh, shake his head and wonder his existence.
With Conley proving a critical part of the Timberwolves (37-16) leading the Western Conference, Minnesota fourth-year guard Anthony Edwards recently shared that he once played NBA2K as Conley and Zach Randolph over a decade ago.
“I couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not. But I do believe him,” Conley told Sportskeeda. “I forget how time fast has gone, basically. That felt like yesterday to me. But Ant was what, nine or eight years old? It’s a weird statement to say and a conversation to be a part of, but it is also cool to still be playing the game that I love against a guy that used me in a video game when he was a kid.”
Mike Conley interview (Exclusive)
Conley dished more on his favorite Edwards’ highlight reel, why he felt surprised Rudy Gobert didn’t make the NBA All-Star team and his hopes to play at least three more years to reach 20 NBA seasons.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been condensed and edited.
What turning points in the season have crystalized to you that the team has what it takes to contend for a championship instead of just being a team that can get to the playoffs?
Mike Conley:
“We had a couple of moments this year. Early on, we had a really tough schedule to start the year. We played Boston at home and played them well as well as some other good teams. We beat Denver early. There were a bunch of teams that we were looking at like, ‘We have to be like them or be better than them to be in this conversation.’ We started the year off playing at that high level. That made us look at each other like, ‘We see we can do it. We see we can win. We might have something if we continue to head in the right direction.’ That first month of the year was a real eye-opening experience for all of the guys.”
Health aside, what else will determine whether you get to that point?
Mike Conley:
“Our maturity and growth as individuals as we go forward. We have a lot of guys who are used to playing one way, and now are trying to adjust to playing with so much talent around you. Now we’re like, ‘let’s move the ball’ and ‘let’s be unselfish.’ We can win in 100 different ways. We don’t have to win by just scoring points. It can be defensively. It can be offensive rebounding nights. We can play with our size through Rudy, KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] and Ant [Anthony Edwards]. It’s about us being able to realize what those games are, being able to adjust those and know we’re winning this way or that way. The quicker we can do that and form that recognition, I think that takes us to another level. Defensively, we’re there. We can play defense against anybody. Offensively, we still have a lot to work out on with how we’re going to attack and approach things game-by-game.”
How about for you? What happened that showed you were going to contribute significantly to this team instead of just being a vet that helps the locker room?
Mike Conley:
“Last year, the first few games after the All-Star break, Ant rolled his ankle one game and I had to take a little bit more of a higher usage role. I was scoring 20-25 points. I thought I hadn’t had this freedom and action in a while. When Ant came back, Coach was still looking at me like, “'Go! Be aggressive!’ I’m like man, ‘I’m really involved in this thing!' That was part of my tenure here where I knew this was going to be a thing. If I’m here, I have to be ready to go.”
How did you react when Ant said he remembers playing NBA2K with you and Zach Randolph back in the day?
Mike Conley:
“Oh man. I couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not. But I do believe him. I forget how fast time has gone, basically. That felt like yesterday to me. But Ant was what, nine or eight years old? It’s a weird statement to say and a conversation to be a part of, but it is also cool to still be playing the game that I love against a guy that used me as a video game when he was a kid.
Do you think there are kids right now playing NBA2K as you and ANT?
Mike Conley:
“Right, exactly! I’m still in the game, essentially. So, it’s cool!
What’s your favorite Ant highlight?
Mike Conley:
“Probably the one against San Antonio. He had a tip-dunk this past month. I never had seen anything quite like that. It was out of nowhere. It was completely special. He has this ability to explode with his power when he dunks. He got one of those boosts off somebody, too, and could jump, bump and grab. He just threw it in. He told the guys, ‘Ya’ll have never seen nothing like that. Just so ya’ll know.’”
With Ant and KAT being All-Stars, how have you seen their chemistry grow this season?
Mike Conley:
“I’m super proud with them. Obviously, they deserve it. Ant has grown in so many areas of the game. He’s always been a great scorer. Now that he has the ball a lot, he has to become more of a playmaker for us at certain times of the game. He’s done a good job with recognizing that. With KAT, it’s the same way. He can go score 60 [points] for you. He can go out there and be a decoy, cut, offensive rebound and make extra plays. Those are things that they’ve had to learn. On winning teams, their best guys don’t always score 60 every night. Sometimes, they get double-teamed and make the right decisions. You rely and trust on your teammates. They’ve done a good job with doing that.”
You have a reference point with how Rudy Gobert was in Utah. How does his season here compare to his Jazz years?
Mike Conley:
“He seems like the same guy that I remember coming in when I went to Utah (2019-22). He’s being a dominant force defensively. Offensively, he has a magnitude with his rim runs and his finishing. He’s actually done a lot better with touching up around the rim and putting up a lot of tough shots. He seems healthier than ever. He seems more in great spirits more than anything, I think. He’s confident. When you’re confident at anything, man, it doesn’t matter your skill level. You seem to outplay whatever deficiency you may have.”
Did it surprise you that he didn’t land an All-Star appearance?
Mike Conley:
“I was surprised. I know the rest of us were surprised. We thought he was more than deserving. We understand how important he is to our team and what we would be if he wasn’t here. We would be a completely different team. So we understand his value.”
What parts of Gobert’s game do you feel don’t get enough credit?
Mike Conley:
“I think he’s not treated like a superstar because he doesn’t do the superstar things, offensively, that LeBron [James] and Steph [Curry] do. But he has the same impact on a game. People gameplan for him like they gameplan for others. You gameplan differently for Steph as you do for somebody else. But with Rudy, you do have to gameplan for his gravity offensively. If he goes to the offensive glass, they’re bringing two or three people. Knowing the film session, they are saying, ‘You got to box out. All three of us have to be there. We have to be in the paint.’"
"Just that one thing allows Jaden McDaniels, KAT and all of these other guys free runs to the rim. That’s a game changer, and that has nothing to do with him putting the ball in the hoop. Defensively, it’s his ability to be versatile. He’s guarding literally every single part of the floor and every person. He doesn’t always get stops and everybody tries to challenge him. But he never backs down from any of it. He stays himself through it all. That impresses me.”
With how much you’ve been playing at a high level, do you have any goals on how many more seasons you want to play?
Mike Conley:
“Oh, man. I think about it all the time on how I want to play. I don’t want to put a number on it. I’m at 17 years. If I can get to 20, that’s a goal, for sure. But I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t know how my body is going to be two years from now. But if I feel like anything I do today, I can play a long time.”
You’ve been available, for the most part. So how have you felt physically overall?
Mike Conley:
“God-willing, I’ve been great. I’ve had one small tweak two weeks ago. But other than that, I’ve had bumps and bruises just like everybody else. But I’ve taken care of my body. I’ve lifted weights a lot. I’m gaining weight, good weight. I’m getting stronger. At this age, that’s always a good thing.”
Let’s say years from now, do you want to coach?
Mike Conley:
“I don’t like to shut the door on nothing. But I don’t know if I can coach these guys like ANT nowadays, man. They’re just different, these young people. They got me pulling my hair out as a teammate. I can’t imagine what it would be like as a coach. But who knows, man. I love the game too much to completely walk away from it. So, it’s definitely in the cards.”
I’m surprised. You’ve been known manage a locker room well and break down film with the guys.
Mike Conley:
“Yeah, it’s definitely there. But that’s the easy route for me. I know that it’s there. Who knows. I might need something else.”
Too early to know what’s on your bucket list?
Mike Conley:
“Yeah, too early. It’s weird. I’m looking at it like my career isn’t going to end for a long time. So, I’m not thinking about post-career as much. But I know I’ll have to at some point.”
Given where you’re at in your career, how have you internalized that you’re having a significant role on a team that has a realistic shot to win the title?
Mike Conley:
“It’s truly a blessing, man. Probably not a lot of people expected the Timberwolves to be in this conversation and have the kind of year that we’re having. For me to come over in a trade and have a significant role, it’s truthfully a blessing to be able to compete at this level and at this age.”