After ten long years, the Utah Jazz Point Guard curse is finally broken

Utah Jazz in recent years can be defined by a few simple traits. A well-run organization, a respected coach, a passionate fan base and … a lifelong supply of temporary and disappointingly average shipowners.

The Utah Jazz franchise was used to having a steady hand in the position of owner. From 1980 to 2003, Jazz had only two starting PGs (unless a rare injury required a reserve to make an odd match). There are 23 consecutive seasons with only one change in the initial owner. Rickey Green started for six consecutive years before handing over the reins to John Stockton. After that, the position belonged to Stockton. We can also name the position after him. He has played all 82 games in 17 of his 19 seasons. He led the league in assists 9 times. He was a mainstay in the All Star and All-NBA teams. John Stockton was the best constant point guard.

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The standard was set for future Jazz owners. Stockton’s career is an unfair measure to compare future players, but that doesn’t stop Jazz fans from doing just that. This team expects excellence from its shipowners.

After John’s retirement, there were only two quick seasons of uncertainty about who would handle the position before Jazz recruited its next franchise owner, Deron Williams.

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Deron Williams won the starting position in the middle of his debut season. An impressive feat, considering Jerry Sloan’s reputation for making young players win their minutes. D-Will prospered in that role for the next five and a half seasons. Williams took the team to the playoffs for four consecutive years, including an appearance in the Western Conference finals. He was an All Star, and All-NBA player, an Olympic gold medalist.

He was also dissatisfied with the team and the coaching staff. Jerry Sloan and D-Will clashed frequently, and Williams decided he would leave the team free. He informed the team of this decision, so on February 23, 2011, Utah Jazz made one of the most impactful moves in the franchise’s history. Deron Williams was traded from Utah Jazz to the New Jersey Nets.

Since that fateful day, the position of the titular owner of the Utah Jazz has, in the minds of many fans, been cursed. There were a total of 14 different players to start at least one game as a Jazz guard since then until today. These players are:

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Some were solid veterans. Some were experienced backups. Some were big lottery bets, full of potential. Some shot at the guards, taking the role out of necessity. Regardless of who they were, none could hold the position for long. Ricky Rubio was the titular owner of Jazz for two full seasons, and this was the greatest stability that this position has experienced over these nine years. Ricky was a solid player and, without a doubt, brought a lot to those defensive Jazz teams. But it was never enough. He was not the game-changing owner that Jazz needed. The Utah board knew that an update was needed. So they negotiated with Mike Conley, a true all-star floor general.

Optimism abounded among the fan base. The team seemed, on paper, complete. The pair of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt looked like a perfect fit. Could this be the season when the curse would finally be broken?

In Mike’s first game wearing a Jazz uniform, he didn’t get a break. your patented float would not fall. His three-point shot was ending. Conley went 1-16 in that game and scored 5 points. That was the beginning of a difficult season for Mike. After accumulating career scoring numbers during his last season in Memphis, he didn’t seem to be able to reach that level during much of his debut season with Jazz. Whether it was injuries, a change of scenery, a new system, new teammates or just his age, it seemed that the curse of the Jazz guard had taken its newest victim.

However, there is an important observation to make here. If you look at the 2019-20 season for Conley as a whole, you will certainly see a bearish year. The worst year of its peak. But if you look at it with some context, you will see that there was an inflection point. After Conley came back completely from the injury, with no more minutes to spare, his game changed dramatically. He seemed to figure out how to fit in with Donovan Mitchell and the rest of his new teammates. His three-point shot became his firearm, and it was dangerous. This game continued into the playoffs. At Disney Bubble, Mike set fire to the networks. He managed almost 20 points per game, with five assists and 42.9% three-point shots. Jazz ended up falling short, but Jazz fans started to wonder, did they have a truly reliable shipowner?

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Well, now the 2020-21 season has started, and in 5 games, Conley has been amazing. It is not just the statistics he is presenting, although they are fantastic (21.4 points, 5.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds per game). It is something you can see. When he dances around a Rudy Gobert canvas to get a three wide open, you see. When he passes through the defense and throws a bullet jump pass to Derrick Favors for a dunk, you see. When he shifts the ball to the corner and hits clutch three, you see. You can see something tangible that it couldn’t last year.

You can feel it too. It is a feeling of confidence when the ball is in your hands and the game clock is running out. A sense of stability when he returns to the game after a rest. He is finally the true owner and general of this team.

Mike Conley found his rhythm with Utah Jazz, and no curse is getting in the way.