Ceiling, floor, expectations: Mike Conley with the Boston Celtics in 2026-27
· Yahoo Sports
As each day of the 2026 NBA offseason passes, we inch closer to the start of the 2026-27 regular season for the Boston Celtics. And as Opening Night draws nearer, the outline of the roster that will take the floor for Game 1 of 82 is starting to come into focus as well.
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After Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens traded star forward Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, it became clear that this is a critical season for the team's current contention arc, with the team being remade to maximize the rest of the team's sole superstar, Jayson Tatum. What is the ceiling, floor, and our expectation for each of the players currently under contract with Boston given this sea change in structure for the team?
To such an end, Daniel Donabedian and Justin Quinn of the Celtics Wire took a player-by-player deep dive into the answers for these questions. So let's dive into our assessment for Mike Conley for this edition of our player projections for the campaign soon to arrive.
Mike Conley - guard
Ceiling
DD: In an ideal world, Conley shows he still has some gas left in the tank and gives the Celtics productive minutes off the bench on occasion. If his 3-point shot can return and his assist numbers go up from last season, maybe the veteran point guard makes his minimum contract a steal for Boston. Or, at the very least, he proves to be a positive presence on the bench and in Boston’s locker room (think Xavier Tillman Sr. from last year).
JQ: I have to agree. Conley is more than the sort of coach-on-the-roster we have seen for renowned vets like Miami Heat big man Udonis Haslem, and should be able to play real minutes for Boston in the backcourt.
That said, he will need to be on the Al Horford-big-toe-sprain playing time plan to keep his legs fresh for when the Celtics need him, meaning we won't see much of him on back-to-backs and on some nights in busier stretches. If he suits up for more than the 54 games he played last season and can provide a few assists and 6 or 8 points per game when he does, it's a win.
Floor
DD: Conley’s floor shouldn’t be dramatic for the Celtics given his low expectations. He wasn’t brought to Boston in the hopes that he’d return to All-Star form. At worst, he averages under 10 minutes per outing and continues to see the rest of his numbers decline in the twilight of his career.
JQ: Given he is on the threshold of his 20th season in the NBA, the floor for Conley is an injury that ends his season early. Even so, he will still have value to the team in the role of a Haslemesque player-coach, so there may be few if any players on Boston's roster with less pressure to deal with in terms of expectations.
Expectation
DD: Conley is 38 years old and no longer in the prime of his career. Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens was well aware of that when he signed him, so Conley may act more like an extra assistant coach than a rotation player.
If that’s the case, I expect him to succeed in Boston and serve as an experienced mentor to younger Celtics like Hugo González. As for his on-court production, I don’t expect much. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes off the bench with a gem from time to time and sends TD Garden into a frenzy.
JQ: Given Boston' proven ability to help shepherd older and injury-probe players like Horford and Kristaps Porzingis through a full, 82-game season, I do expect we'll have some throw back games from Conley, and solid support minutes from the Fayetteville native next season.
But I also expect a stretch or three where he misses a string of games to tend to achy knees or an angry back. Thankfully, he'll likely only need to help bolster Boston's guard rotation when players like Derrick White or Payton Pritchard need to sit a game or two.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Ceiling, floor, expectations: Mike Conley with the Boston Celtics in 2026-27