Mike Conley Already Showing Why the Celtics Signed Him

Mike Conley is already making his presence felt on the Boston Celtics .

Shortly after the Celtics signed Conley, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens gushed about the 19-year NBA veteran's leadership and ability to impact winning.

We'll have to wait and see how much gas he has left in the tank, but Conley's leadership is already on full display.

"I think he's won the teammate awards because of the kind of person he is, and like, just reliable and just a good dude and somebody you can always talk to and lean on," Payton Pritchard said about Conley . "But for me, somebody that looked up to Mike, it's like how he thinks of the game and how he was able to create his shots and create shots for his teammates, and maybe handle playing the point guard position, momentum swings.

"You know, he's been in a lot of great environments, great playoff series, and like how was he able to kill in those moments and dominate the game."

The 2026-27 season will mark Conley's 20th NBA season. He joins the Celtics as a one-time All-Star with one All-Defensive team selection. He's never won an NBA championship, but he's played a key role in deep playoff runs with the Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Additionally, Conley has won the NBA's Sportsmanship Award four times in his career. That's the most in NBA history, and he's one of only five players to win the award multiple times.

That reputation as a respected teammate appears to have followed him to Boston.

Pritchard isn't the only one who has spoken highly of Conley at training camp. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla also revealed how his leadership is making a difference.

"Leadership just comes naturally to him, and I think people flock to him in general as being a great teammate," Mazzulla said . "I think it's really just his personality. You know, like I said, leadership becomes very natural to him. He's constantly coming into the building worrying about others and not worrying about himself, which I think says a lot about him, but also the experience of you know of what he's been in, and he comes in very present."

The Celtics signed Conley to a one-year, $3.9 million contract in the offseason. He's already making an impact before playing a regular-season game for the Celtics.