Memphis Grizzlies: Darius Garland Could Replace Mike Conley As The Point Guard Of The Future
By Chris Kern
Mike Conley has been the Memphis Grizzlies for the past decade. Could Darius Garland be the guy to replace him as the franchise point guard?
Mike Conley has been a cornerstone of the Memphis Grizzlies for so long but it’s time for them to start thinking about the future. It’s possible he gets traded this summer which opens the door for somebody else to take over. The Grizzlies have an opportunity to find that guy in the NBA Draft in Darius Garland.
Garland has only played in five college games due to a meniscus injury in his left knee. It’s disappointing not being able to see him on the floor but he has shown enough in his high school career and in the few college games he played in to warrant him being selected in the lottery.
In his five college games he played in he averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists and he shot the ball well. He shot 54% from the field including a 48% clip from three-point range. He had three really good performances in what was essentially four games played as he played just two minutes in his final game.
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The team has really struggled without him as well which shows how valuable he is. They won all four games he was healthy in and since then they are just 5-21 including their 0-17 record in SEC play.
It wasn’t weak competition he was playing against either as he led Vanderbilt to a road win over the University of Southern California. In that game, he finished with 19 points and 5 rebounds. His best game of the season was in a home win over Liberty just a week later.
In the game against Liberty, he finished with 33 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal. He shot the ball extremely well also making 12-18 shots including going 5-8 from three-point range.
Some may feel that isn’t impressive due to the opponent but the Liberty Flames are a very good basketball team. They have a 27-6 record and are set to play in the Atlantic Sun championship game on Sunday for a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
They’re also ranked 63rd in the NET rankings, directly in front of schools such as Oregon and Arkansas. The NET is the new formula the NCAA Tournament committee evaluates teams and it stands for NCAA Evaluation Tool.