Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Break Player Reviews: Mike Conley
By Jerrod Smith
After signing the richest deal in NBA history, Mike Conley caught some major slack, but he has lived up to his deal this season.
Everyone outside the fanbase of the Memphis Grizzlies questioned Conley’s contract. All you heard was, “how is this guy making more money than guys like Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry?”
First of all, Mike was a free agent in the midst of a rising salary cap.
Second, you have to follow the Grizzlies to know Mike Conley’s worth to the city of Memphis. He has done so much for Grind City. He is a leader – not only on the floor, but also in the community.
The excerpt below lists Conley’s stats for this season. Did you know he’s averaging career highs in just about, well, everything?
This article gives a breakdown of his numbers:
"Pick a metric, any metric. Almost regardless of which one you choose, Conley will be performing at a career-best level in 2016-17. For those beholden to per-game production, the 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 triples Conley has averaged through his first 35 outings all represent career highs. He’s also setting new personal bests in player efficiency rating (21.1), true shooting percentage (57.1), Win Shares per 48 minutes (.178) and Box Plus-Minus (4.6), despite posting a career-high usage rate (25.9), too. Whereas some players struggle to maintain their efficiency with an increased number of possessions, Conley has thrived in such a role. As ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe noted when discussing his All-Star reserve picks, Conley is living up to the massive five-year, $153 million contract he signed with Memphis this past summer: Conley has always played with a certain caution. Some of that comes from the level of craft in his game — the change-of-pace dribbles and crossover moves he uses to prod defenses before finding something he likes. Some of it reflected a reluctance to be selfish, and take over. That is gone. Conley understands the Grizzlies need him to assert control over games, and he has the confidence to do it. He has amped up his scoring without sacrificing his always-feisty defense."
Mike also became the Grizzlies’ franchise leader in three pointers made this season.
To top it off, he became the Grizzlies franchise leader in points, assists, and steals.. Just the eight player to do so in NBA history.