Mike Conley's biggest Celtics contribution may begin before the ball goes up

Mike Conley is entering his 20th NBA season with a Celtics roster that needs his experience in the locker room and on the floor. NBC Boston's latest Ramp to Camp report quotes Conley describing his desire to pass his experience to Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman and Sam Hauser.

Conley is 38 and will turn 39 during the season. The Celtics added him, Paul George and Mitchell Robinson after losing several veteran voices, and Conley arrives with a natural role as a second-unit organizer. His value will come from getting Boston into its actions, helping younger guards read coverages and making the minutes without Jayson Tatum more stable.

That leadership has an on-court consequence. Conley does not need to reproduce his younger scoring volume, but he must make sound decisions, defend his position and preserve Boston's spacing. Last season he shot 33.7 percent from three, down from his prior Minnesota levels, so opponents may test whether they can help off him.

The Celtics introduced Conley and George together on Sept. 15, framing both veterans as players still seeking their first championship. The next decision belongs to Joe Mazzulla: how many guard minutes go to Conley, and whether his presence lets Boston use Pritchard more aggressively as a scorer.

Conley made 12 appearances during Minnesota's 2026 playoff run and recorded 32 assists against five turnovers, according to the NBC Boston report. That recent sample supports a limited but useful role, especially if Boston asks him to settle close games or guide younger lineups.

Training camp will reveal whether the Celtics can turn that experience into rotation value. The team has not published a final rotation, and Conley is not guaranteed a high-minute assignment. His first job is to connect the reserve group; the second is to show he can still punish defenses that ignore him.