Timberwolves' Mike Conley Jr. opens up on 'unique' ambidexterity, believes his left-handed shots deserve more credit
Mike Conley Jr. is an underrated point guard in the league and there is little doubt about that. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard is one of the best and also one of the few southpaws in the league. However, is Conley Jr. really a left-hander? The answer is seemingly more complicated than it might seem. The 2021 NBA All-Star has the ability to beat the defender in more than one way and one of them is his ambidextrous shooting.
Recently, the Timberwolves guard said he is not really a left-hander when it comes to handling day-to-day activities. In an episode of the This League Uncut podcast, Conley said he uses his right hand in everything he does except when it comes to playing basketball.
“I am a right handed person by nature, but I play basketball left-handed, which allows me to truthfully be ambidextrous at basketball. But if you give me a pencil, to write with my left hand, I will have no chance compared to the right so, it’s unique coz we talk about my right hand and all the right handed shots that I shoot, obviously it is my dominant hand. "
He also added that when he shoots the ball with his right hand, it is usually perceived that he is shooting with his off-hand. However, for him personally, he is shooting the ball with his dominant hand and it is much easier for him.
Given that he shoots with his off-hand, the Timberwolves star also added that he should get more credit for his three-point shot than he usually gets.
"I should get more credit when I make a lefty 3 than I do when I make a right-handed floater.”
Mike Conley also gave an interesting anecdote on how he started to shoot with his left hand despite being a right-handed person.
“It started probably when I was 4 or 5 when I would try to shoot a ball and I would hoist it from the left side of my body for whatever reason. It kinda stuck with me. As I got older, I knew that I could, coz I could take like five days and off of basketball and come back and shoot two shots left-handed and just airball them."
Conley kept working on his left-hand shooting and today, he is one of the best three-point shooters in the league.
Mike Conley Jr. signs two-year contract extension with Timberwolves
Mike Conley is one of the best and perhaps one of the most underrated ball handlers in the league. He has had success with both the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz.
This year, the Timberwolves spent more than half of their season relying on Mike Conley playing leading point guard for the team. He did not disappoint and the team repaid him with a fresh two-year/$21 million contract extension. His contract is set to run through the 2025-26 season.
In February 2023, Conley was traded to the Timberwolves in a three-team trade that also sent D’Angelo Russell to the LA Lakers. The 36-year-old spent 12 years in Memphis and through Utah, landed in Minnesota.
This season, Mike Conley has played 61 of the Timberwolves’ 66 games. He is averaging 10.7 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field and a career-high 43% shooting from beyond the arc.