The Memphis Grizzlies have been led by Mike Conley for the past decade. Could this finally be the year he gets selected to the all-star game?
Mike Conley has been one of the most underrated players in the league over the past decade. The Memphis Grizzlies showed him how much they value him when they gave him that max deal during the 2016 offseason.
He has continued to improve as a player and despite suffering a season-ending injury last season he is putting up career-highs this season.
His 21.1 points and 6.6 assists per game are both career-highs for Conley. His shooting percentages are below his career average but they have been on the rise in recent weeks.
Conley’s numbers were never great early in his career since the Grizzlies offense ran their offense through Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
He was one of the leaders that got this team to seven straight playoffs before missing last season largely in part to so many injuries.
Conley has had some struggles in the playoffs though. He has averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 assists in 56 career playoff games.
He has also shot just 41% from the field and 31% from three-point range over his playoff career. His performance during the 2016-17 playoff series against the Spurs was a coming out performance for him.
During that series, he averaged 24.7 points and 7 assists per game. They lost a hard-fought series against San Antonio in seven games.
The Grizzlies had high expectations the following season but they fell way short due to many injuries most notably with Conley’s heel injury.
Despite being slept on by the national media Memphis built a team for this season that they thought could compete for the playoffs.
They have struggled some in recent games but are still 13-9 due to playing so well through the first month of the season.
Conley struggled some to start the season but he has come on in a big way in recent weeks. He is playing the best basketball of his career and deserves some consideration to make the all-star game.
The west has a lot of guards that will be tough to beat out. Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, and Klay Thompson are just a few of the elite guards in this conference.
His play so far this season has been fantastic. He has rejuvenated this team and has them playing at a high level.
He has had some big-time games this season where he has just taken over. After scoring just 13 combined points in games against Golden State and Denver he has been on another level.
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He has scored at least 18 points in 12 consecutive games, including three 30 point games.
He scored a season-high 37 in an overtime win against Brooklyn.
This teams success might be just as important to his all-star candidacy as his own play is.
He will never get the credit he deserves but he has no chance of earning a trip to the all-star game if the Grizzlies aren’t still in the playoff picture.
If Conley can continue to play as he has recently then he will have a shot at making the all-star team no matter how good the Grizzlies record is.
Don’t let the media tell you otherwise, he is a special player and should be talked about in the same class as other all-star caliber point guards in the western conference.