Memphis Grizzlies: Don’t Count Mike Conley Out Of NBA MVP Race

Photo Credit: Basketball Schedule, Flickr.com

A model of consistency throughout his career, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is a potential dark horse to sneak into the Most Valuable Player discussion for the 2013-14 NBA season.

Conley, only 25 years of age, has improved his leadership ability and overall court presence since the departure of Rudy Gay. Since the trade with the Toronto Raptors, he has been able to see teammates better through his court vision as well as score more points than his career average last season. Without the no-nonsense, this-is-my-ball offensive approach of Gay, Conley, as well as the rest of the Grizzlies, have been able to fit better into their respective roles.

As a team, the Grizzlies are a force defensively, leading the NBA in opponents points allowed per game (89.3). Marc Gasol took home the 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year award and anchors the paint on defense for Memphis, but it all starts in the backcourt with Conley.  Conley, a second team All-Defensive member last year along with Gasol, is aggressive on defense, rattling opposing players into making bad decisions. He averaged more than two steals per game, ranking third in the NBA behind Chris Paul and Ricky Rubio, and is a pest with quick feet and fast hands.

If the Grizzlies want to compete for a top playoff spot in the revamped Western Conference, they need to continue to clamp down on defense and push the tempo on offense a bit more. It’s up to Conley to push that offense as well, as he is far and away and fastest and quickest player on the floor at all times for Memphis.

What it will all come down to for Conley is the voters for the MVP award. Generally speaking, voters want to vote for a guy on a winning team, one that stands out above the competition on a nightly basis and delivers in clutch situations. Voters like to have a hearty stat line to sink their teeth into, one that captivates them and tells them that player is a star. Conley is on the verge of doing just that.

However, Conley is not quite there yet.

In order to put his name into MVP consideration, he will have to up his points per game average, up to between 20 and 25 per game. He also needs to push his assist numbers to double digits. He only averages six per game right now, but with a more up-tempo offense, Conley could easily get those numbers up as well.

Conley isn’t going to wow you on the highlight reel, but he’s a consistent player. He averages better than 44 percent shooting for his career, as well as 78 percent from the free-throw line and 37 percent from beyond the arc.

Now, these aren’t star-studded numbers, but if he can assert himself more into the flow of the offense, become the playmaker he has the tools to become and be more aggressive offensively, Mike Conley’s name will come up in MVP conversations come March.

Mike Conley has the makings of being a star in the NBA. This is the season where all those tools come together and he becomes an All-Star, an elite point guard and an MVP candidate.

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