Every off-season, virtually every team makes a one or two key upgrades on their roster. It’s become even more crucial in this current era as player movements are getting flashier and flashier.

For the Utah Jazz, the 2019 off-season was about bolstering their point guard position, so they set their sights on Memphis Grizzlies star, Mike Conley.

It was somewhat refreshing to see the Jazz go all in and chase after a relatively big name. They are a small-market team with a rarely aggressive front office, and have always prided itself as a franchise who builds by the book and exudes a prim and proper basketball culture – certainly far from a team that makes blockbuster trades or free agent signings.

In what feels like a first, the Jazz pulled off a trade that had them unloading four players (Jae Crowder, Darius Bazley, Kyle Korver, and Grayson Allen) and a first-round pick in exchange for their one coveted guy.

Conley was packing a massive contract too, one that really eats up cap space. He’s making over $32 million this year and $34.5 million next season.

But yes, ‘Money Mike’ did deserve the attention. He has been a been a highly regarded point guard for a while now, possessing the skills, playoff experience, numbers, veteran presence, and just about every enticing factor you’d like on a floor general.

Things looked good and appear to be in place as well. The Grizzlies were heading into a new direction, and were more than willing to facilitate a trade, all despite Conley coming off a career-high 21.1 points per game and still being fairly young (31).

In Utah, Conley was expected to be the third key man, an added boost to the firepower that rising stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are bringing in. Mitchell is the offense, Gobert is the defense, and Conley is the maestro that will keep both sides rolling.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t materialized yet. He’s only averaging 13.8 points and 4.3 assists per contest while shooting a horrid 40.5% from the floor – excluding his injury-shortened 2017-18 season, it’s the lowest FG% of his career.

The hamstring injury in early December was tough, and it indeed slowed him down, but he was already off even before that. In fact, through his first four games of the season, he only scored a measly 7.8 points on 20% shooting. He’s had multiple four or five-game stretches with similar numbers.

Even more concerning is how the team performed while he was out, which makes one think about his possibly diminishing value in the team. The Jazz went on a 10-game winning streak, and racked up 16 victories in his 19-game absence.

Is there an upside left?

While it’s been rough, you have to think there is still an upside somewhere. The Jazz are still one of the best-ran organizations and best-coached teams in the league, and through that, they can probably find a way to make Conley shine.

Prior to the COVID-19 hiatus, which coincidentally rooted from teammate Rudy Gobert, Conley was actually in a rhythm. He was notching 16.5 points and 4.9 assists in his last 13 games, easily the best stretch he’s had all season. The only question is if he can finally sustain such momentum.

To ease some of the Jazz fans, Conley did say that he’s becoming more acclimated with the team. Here’s what he told The Athletic in a recent interview:

“It feels like I’ve played a full season already … I’ve had a chance to build chemistry with my coaches and with my teammates. I haven’t had any questions about plays or my role. I have a clear picture on what to expect.”

Considering all the struggle and how much he can actually bring to the table, Conley is the x-factor for the Jazz for the upcoming playoff run. Great guard play is everywhere and if he can step up and be the Grizzlies version of himself, there’s no telling how much noise they can make.

Here’s a look at the Jazz’s schedule for the eight seeding games:

The Jazz are 41-23 and rank fourth in the Western Conference. They are only 3.5 games back from the second-seeded LA Clippers but only one game ahead of the bottom half of the West playoff picture.