The Timberwolves guard talks about the slow start to shooting

Through the first three games of the 2024-25 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves pick up right where they left off. After its first conference finals in two decades, expectations were high in Minnesota this season. So far they appear to be legitimate competitors once again. After losing their opening game to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Timberwolves have won two straight. Their late offseason acquisitions of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo look good, and star Anthony Edwards looks primed for another fantastic season. However, not everything is going well for Minnesota so far. This is especially true for Mike Conley, who is in his second full season with the Timberwolves.

Last season, Conley led the Timberwolves in three-point shooting, shooting 44.2% from distance. However, the Ohio State graduate has not yet had comparable success. In three games, Conley is shooting 5 of 25 (20%) from the field and 4 of 18 (22.2%) from the three-point line. It's a small sample size, but these percentages are extremely poor, especially for a career 38.7% three-point shooter.

Recently, Conley revealed that he has been dealing with “some wrist pain” for a long time, according to Jon Krawcynzki of The Athletic. However, Conley doesn't believe this is the reason for his poor shooting performance so far.

Mike Conley says he is suffering from mild wrist pain. He said it stemmed from something from a few years ago that needs to be addressed when he's done playing. He said he was confident that this was not the reason for his slow start to shooting since he had been playing with it for a while

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 28, 2024

Mike Conley: “It’s been a long time. I had to work on it for years. Something I'll fix and work on at some point when I'm done playing. I’ll manage for now.”

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 28, 2024

Mike Conley talks about the slow start to filming

Mike Conley's role with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Conley has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Timberwolves. During this time, he has established himself as one of the team's most important players due to his value on both sides of the ball. The 37-year-old is entering the first year of his two-year, $20.8 million contract extension. Despite his difficult shooting performances so far, Conley's importance to Minnesota hasn't changed. For the foreseeable future, Conley is expected to start for the Timberwolves and likely will until he retires or moves on to another team.

The last word

The Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the NBA. Their balance of offense and defense makes them one of the most versatile teams in the league. For the first time in a long time, the Timberwolves have legitimate championship aspirations. While most of this will depend on Edwards, Randle and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Conley is also an important part of that core.