7 X-factors who could shape the 2020-21 NBA season

5. Mike Conley

The Utah Jazz had been looking for a secondary ballhandler to ease the burden carried by Donovan Mitchell and thought they found one after acquiring Mike Conley last summer. The former Grizzlie staple was coming off one of the best seasons in his career with a career-high 21.1 points per game and provided a two-way presence Utah lacked from its lead guard.

Alas, even in what seemed like the perfect environment for this next chapter of his career, Conley never found his rhythm. He averaged his fewest points per game since 2013 and shot a career-worst percentage inside the arc. He even came off the bench for a six-game stretch as Quinn Snyder searched high and low for ways to get Conley in a rhythm.

It wasn’t until the NBA moved down to the bubble where Conley began to look like himself. He averaged 18.0 points per game in the six seeding games he appeared in. After missing Games 1 and 2 of Utah’s first-round battle to witness the birth of his son, Conley returned to score over 20 points in three of his fives games as the Jazz came thisclose to taking down the Nuggets.

That Conly found his groove in the playoffs while Mitchell was simultaneously torching Denver bodes well for their cohesion moving forward. The return of Bojan Bogdanovic, who missed the entirety of the bubble following wrist surgery, should be a non-issue considering his effectiveness of the ball. Good thing too because only three teams played their started more minutes than Utah did last season.

The Jazz face a steep climb to even get out of the first round before even thinking about reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2007. Whatever chance they have begins with the play of those relied on the most, including the player brought in to help make those lofty goals more obtainable.