Mike Conley might not be the best option to play heavy minutes at this stage of his career, but the veteran floor general will not need to be leaned on by the Boston Celtics unless the team has other problems to deal with considering their guard depth. And for Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, that is exactly the sort of role they have in mind for the former Minnesota Timberwolves point guard.
"People talk about veteran leadership and they talk about how important vets are, and my argument to that would be good vets are really important," said Stevens in a recent episode of the team's "Celtics All-Access" video series. "Guys that really have a great understanding of where they are in their career, how they impact winning, and the appropriate amount of expectations from the individual standpoint."
"And I think that that's what you get with Mike," continued the Celtics president. "Every time he plays, has a big impact on winning."
"And so I think the balance of being able to play at a high level, not needing to play every minute of every game is an incredibly valuable thing," said Stevens. "And it's usually reserved for guys that have a good perspective on life, and Mike does he certainly has that."
Conley, for his part, is already making the sort of little changes he'll need to adapt to playing for Boston. "I've never wore a big number before," said Conley, "so, I'm going to get used to it."

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