Mike Conley and Mario Chalmers: Memphis Grizzlies New Dynamic Duo
I love when things that I say end up helping in such a way that even I couldn’t have foreseen.
The Memphis Grizzlies (or should I say the Sounds) pulled out the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-114 Monday night thanks in no small part to their two dynamic backcourt terrors scoring the basketball.
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And no, calling them terrors after last night isn’t a stretch. Both Mike Conley and Mario Chalmers combined for 51 points on 14-of-26 shots including 8-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
This is not an overreaction right here: the Grizzlies are finally beginning to understand how to effectively shoot the three-point shot.
For long stretches in the second half against the Thunder, the Grizzlies had a lineup on the floor that consisted of both Conley and Chalmers as well as Jeff Green, JaMychal Green and Marc Gasol.
Do you notice anything different about that lineup compared to the product that’s usually put on the floor?
SPACING!!
Both Conley and Chalmers are capable of connecting on three-point shots while taking over ball-handling and distributing duties, both Greens have proven they can drill shots from deep, and Gasol is capable of mid-range shenanigans like his big brother Pau.
All of this combines for an open court giving Conley and Chalmers plenty of room to drive into the lane and either draw contact or dish out to an open shooter. The results allowed the Grizzlies to crawl back into the third quarter after being outplayed by one Russell Westbrook and hit the ground running in the fourth.
Memphis outscored Oklahoma City 43(!!) to 34 in the fourth quarter with consecutive three-point shots and timely defensive takeaways leading to transition buckets.
Before the game I suggested that maybe coach Dave Joerger should consider running Chalmers and Conley together for stretches of the game and experiment with what it might do for the Grizzlies’ floor spacing. The end game was better than I would’ve expected, with Memphis knocking in 12-of-17 shots from downtown.
Having two point guards on the floor isn’t anything new today in the NBA. As long as one or both of them are capable of hitting perimeter shots then it does nothing to take away from floor spacing and potentially clashing styles of play together.
Considering the lineup has made 66.7 percent of their triples when on the floor together, I don’t see Joerger straying away from it anytime soon. Similar lineups with more shooters than non-shooters thrown into the mix, especially those lineups with JaMychal, also have high percentage three-point rates.
The Grizzlies have the personnel to play a more modern offensive style. Gone are the days of pounding the post with limited shooting for 48 minutes. It’s important to have a post scorer like Gasol or Zach Randolph to draw defenses in and open space for shooters. It’s just as important in that formula to play those shooters more minutes to get the offense in a rhythm.
Embrace the backcourt of Chalmers and Conley Grizzlies fans. It may very well be a combination that carries the team deep into the playoffs.