Former guard praises Grizzlies amid lackluster season
By Mark Nilon
The Memphis Grizzlies have had a rough go at things during these early stages of 2023-24 and now, through 16 games played, are tied for the second-worst record in the entire association at 3-13.
Most recently, Taylor Jenkins' club was seen falling to their conference rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves, in a lowly blowout affair, as they were downed by a final score of 119-97, marking it as their fourth straight loss and third consecutive of loosing by 20 or more points.
As a result of their lackluster productivity and success rate, it should come as little to no surprise that both fans, pundits, and even members of the organization are rather ticked off by the current state of things.
However, following their latest drubbing, former star and current T-Wolves guard Mike Conley issued a message of positivity regarding the Grizzlies, sharing his love and appreciation for the franchise's faithful followers.
Mike Conley praises Memphis Grizzlies fans following latest loss
"It's always like the first time when I come back here [to FedEx Forum]. It's an amazing place to play and these fans, they basically raised me, the city raised me so truthfully thankful to them for everything, grateful [and] happy to be able to play in front of them still."
- Mike Conley on Grizzlies nation
Conley spent 12 highly successful seasons serving as the franchise point guard for the Grizzlies from 2007 through 2019. Throughout his tenure, he became a fan favorite and an all-time member of the club whilst playing a key role in their bevy of deep playoff runs and saw himself posting impressive averages of 14.9 points, 5.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals along the way.
Since his departure he has suited up for two separate organizations in the Utah Jazz (2019-2023) and, currently, the Minnesota Timberwolves where he has averaged 13.6 points, 5.7 assists, 3.1 rebouns, and 1.1 steals throughout.
During his latest comeback outing against the Grizzlies, he dropped an impressive stat line of 18 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and a steal while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from deep en route to their 12 win of the season.