Memphis Grizzlies: Wherever Mike Conley Goes, the Grizzlies Go

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley is coming off an injury-plagued season in 2017. Why is 2018 going to be different for Conley, or will it be different at all?

All aboard the Memphis Grizzlies train as the conductor gears up to get his trip going. Last year was a nightmare in which we only saw Michael Conley suit up for nine games. The nine games  Mike Conley did play, he averaged 17 points per game but did not look great in doing so.

Grizzlies brass began whispering that something clearly looked wrong with Mike again. Come time to find out, the whispers were true. Mike would end up having a golf ball-sized bone spur in his heel and his Achilles was strained at the point of tearing. It was clear then that Conley was not coming back anytime soon if at all. He ended up unable to finish the season and underwent season-ending surgery to remove the bone spur from his heel.

Fast forwarding into this season, at the age of 31, Mike Conley is at a crossroads in his career. With at least two seasons left under contractual obligation, will Conley ever truly make a case for being mentioned amongst the NBA superstars? Or will he remain an All-Star-caliber player at his peak, but not quite an NBA All-Star snub, especially not in the Western Conference?

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Looking at this team for this upcoming season with the roster at hand is really interesting to say the least. If Conley holds up, then I can actually see this team at 45-48 wins getting them in as the 7th seed. For that to happen, Conley is certainly going to have to be in rare form. Memphis’ new free-agent addition, Kyle Anderson, should prove to be a match made in heaven for Conley.

Being as Kyle has recently publicly stated that he is far better with the ball in his hands as the facilitator, that should be music to Conley’s ears because it can allow him to be freed up enough to average 30 points per game if he has it in him.

Anderson, already a veteran-level decision-maker at the young age of 24 is something to be seen. Kyle Anderson will help create opportunities for Mike Conley to score, and defensively Anderson will be far more than relief. He can also take on the opposing team’s biggest offensive threat, which allows Conley to do his best impression of Allen Iverson if he so chooses.

At 6’9,” Kyle Anderson has the length and ability to switch and rotate with either guards or forwards, thus not putting too much pressure on Conley to be perfect on both ends.

Simply put, Anderson is a do-it-all guy, so his rebounding is also another factor as he creates fastbreak opportunities off the rebound, which allows Conley to either spot up or cut for the easy feed when defenses get antsy trying to trap Anderson.

Kyle Anderson is also very savvy when setting screens and picks, which falls in line with creating plays for Conley, but is worth noting being as Mike will have a field day losing defenders running off screens for quick catch-and-shoot buckets.

Jaren Jackson Jr. gives Conley not only another defender to protect the rim, but also the ability to switch and rotate with anybody on the floor in short stints for now. This does not put so much pressure on Conley to be perfect on both ends. Add that with the fact Jaren has shown crazy range offensively and Conley now has another big man with legit potential.

On the court the front office has supplied Conley a team built for him to be the best scoring version of himself possible. With Garrett Temple or Andrew Harrison at shooting guard, you have a reliable ball handler — one who will not be too caught up in trying to score as much as he would be simply making the right play, this is especially the case with Temple.

Temple provides reliable ball-handling and savvy decision-making on offense while being able to defend the top guards on defense. Temple also has a reliable three-point shot when need be as Conley likes to break defenders down off the dribble and hit guys ready to fire it away from long-range. Playing with Temple means Conley can have spurts where he focuses solely on scoring.

Andrew Harrison provides a little of all of the names mentioned attributes, but he also has more potential to be more productive. Harrison has not yet sold the masses that he is ready to be a steady hand starter but the latter half of last season is one who can be of great benefit to Conley. When Harrison is in flow even as he was the first preseason game where produced eight points despite only getting very limited minutes in both games.

If one asks a once very brutal Harrison critic like myself, Drew has turned a corner in his career for the better. I truly believe that if in position to start, he will likely solidify himself there. Harrison has the build to take on the enemy’s biggest wing offensive threat while also providing the reliable ball handling that relieves Conley of so much responsibility as the facilitator. Harrison is also improving as a shooter even if not always at the rate we prefer so Conley has another guy to kick out to when attacking the basket.

When healthy, Conley can be a force to be reckoned with. Conley’s first season under former head coach David Fizdale is the minimum requirement for Memphis to be a playoff contender this season. There is no other way around it. It will still take a collective effort.

The problem is Mike Conley has not played 80 games in five seasons now (and counting). When one considers the fact he was nearly Iron Man in the first six seasons of his career, some cannot help but ask rhetorically has Mike simply become a body too banged up to be relied upon as the franchise player?

Bluff City is hoping so, but the latter half of his career begs to differ thus far. Unfortunately, that is just where we are. So if Conley is not healthy this season, fielding offers from contenders needing a veteran playmaker at point guard will be the least the Memphis Grizzlies should do. Here is to the hope that Mike Conley returns with a major bang and leads the team back into the postseason. At this point, it may be wise to tread lightly, for now at least.