Mike Conley and the Minnesota Timberwolves will be making back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had another long and impressive run in the postseason, but unfortunately fell short against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Timberwolves were led by rising star Anthony Edwards and rookie Julius Randle, acquired in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.
Mike Conley is a veteran leader in the locker room and has been a huge influence on some of Minnesota’s younger players over the past few years.
Conley is the oldest player on the Timberwolves roster.
Conley will continue to provide a veteran presence that will help the Timberwolves ultimately reach the top.
He was interviewed by HoopsHype and gave a message to the young players on the team about sticking to what he believes in.
“It’s about taking advantage of this moment, which I don’t think it took me at all to understand when I was in my early to mid-20s.
“Life moves really fast for you and you only look back and regret it. You just really pay attention to the daily process of trying to be the best player, the best teammate that you can be.
“And try to win championships along the way, because that’s something that a lot of people don’t get a chance to do.
“I’ve been in this job for 19 years and I’ve never sniffed a Finals. So I really just want to keep things in everyone’s perspective day-to-day and understand that we have an incredible opportunity in front of us.”
Conley played 18 seasons in the NBA, spending time with the Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Timberwolves.
He played in 1,172 regular season games, averaging 14.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds. He appeared in one All-Star Game during his career.
Conley is aiming for his first NBA championship. At 38 years old, time is running out in his career to earn it.
So this season will be all the more important for Conley and the Timberwolves to get it done.