Memphis Grizzlies: 3 Reasons Mike Conley Deserves To Be An All-Star

Two-Way Star

Mike Conley is a guy who gets it done on both ends of the floor. He is known for leading this team on the offensive end but he is a catalyst for the defense as well.

He is averaging 1.2 steals per game while also spending a lot of time defending top opposing guards. Garrett Temple defends the primary scorer a lot of times but Conley still plays a big role on that end.

Conley has done a great job defending perimeter shots. His opponents are shooting just 30% from three-point range and only 31% from shots over 15 feet.

Overall his opponents have made just 38% of their shots which is 7% below the league average. The team as a whole defends better than most teams in the league and he is a big part of that.

Conley has a defensive rating of 100.2. There is a big difference in the home/road and win/loss splits but that’s to be expected.

The team as a whole has a defensive rating of 104.7 so you can see the difference when he is on the floor vs when he is off of it.

His biggest impact has been on the offensive end of the floor though. Everybody on this team gets it done on the defensive end but this team struggles on offense and that’s where Conley makes a difference.

So far this season he is averaging 20.3 points and 6.5 assists per game. He is shooting just 42% from the field and 34% from three-point range.

Those aren’t terrible averages but they are below his career average so some could use that against him in the all-star conversation.

His ability to make big plays for this team is huge. He makes so many tough shots when this team is struggling and it has helped this team succeed.

His floater has become a huge strength for him and he has used it to his advantage. He is currently dealing with a finger injury which has affected him somewhat.

It’s not a huge deal since it’s on his right hand and he is a left-handed shooter but he uses his right hand a lot during games.

His ability to attack the basket and hit those right-handed floaters are part of what makes him so tough to defend.

Conley can score the ball in a variety of ways. He gets it done when it matters most. His play late in games is why we’re even here discussing him as a potential all-star.