As the new NBA season is set to tip off, we’ll be looking at each player on the Memphis Grizzlies. Can Mike Conley surpass his season from a year ago?
The question for Mike Conley last year was whether he could truly become “the guy” in David Fizdale’s offense. For most of his career, he had been mainly an all-around game manager who controlled the team’s tempo. Did he truly have what it takes to be the Memphis Grizzlies’ best player every night?
The answer was an emphatic yes.
Mike Conley is an incredibly unique player in his own right. He can’t quite light up the game with his scoring the same way that Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard can. He’s not considered a “point-God” like Chris Paul and John Wall. Though he still has one of the better ones in the league, Conley also doesn’t quite have the nasty handle of a Kyrie Irving. He’s just simply excellent in every aspect of the game.
Mike Conley is just a really freaking good basketball player.
What can Memphis expect from Captain Clutch next season?
Mike Conley Unleashed II
In David Fizdale’s free-flowing offense, Mike Conley was unleashed in a way that he never had been. The spacing in the offense gave Conley freedom that he had never had before, and the results were apparent. He averaged career bests of 20.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 6.3 APG and just narrowly missed his first All-Star game.
In year two of the David Fizdale era, the team is built to play faster than ever before. The Grizzlies will play at the fastest pace in their history, and Conley’s numbers should reflect that. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he hovered around the 22 PPG mark by the end of the season. Furthermore, with the additions of Tyreke Evans and a healthy Chandler Parsons, Conley may not have to shoulder as much of the playmaking burden that he had last year.
Once the season is over, Conley will have once again showed that he’s a near top-five point guard in the league. However, can he finally make the All-Star team?
Finally an All-Star?
Considering everything that has happened over the offseason, it simply isn’t likely.
There’s definitely not another player more worthy of the moniker “best player to never make an all-star team” than Mike Conley. As good as he is, the competition for AllSstar spots at the guard position in the Western Conference is ridiculous. Every year, he has to compete with the likes of Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Klay Thompson for a spot on the All-Star team. With the additions of Paul George and Jimmy Butler, the West’s talent has only gotten deeper.
Even if Mike Conley has another career year that surpasses his incredible performance from last season, it’s still unlikely that he will make the All-Star team.
Sometimes life is just simply unfair.
Dunking with Wolves
Year of 11
Mike Conley has been through all of the wars that this franchise has fought over the last seven years.
From the time he was the “Masked Man” to his heroics against the Spurs last year, he has always elevated his game when the Grizzlies need him most. They’ll need him to do so once again.
These are uncertain times for the Memphis Grizzlies. Even if the roster stays fully healthy, there’s no guarantee that they will make the playoffs. In times of uncertainty, a team needs its leaders to rise to the challenge and meet it head-on.
Mike Conley has given so much to this city and to this franchise. However, his legacy is far from over. If he can unleash his game the way that he did last year, the Grizzlies will once again be in the playoff hunt in March. This is his team to lead; this is his time and his moment. When this year is over, it may very well be remembered in Memphis as the “Year of 11”.