Memphis Grizzlies: A Position-by-Position Breakdown (Point Guards)

Mike Conley

Ask a Grizzlies’ fan to describe Conley in one word, and more often than not, you’ll hear it being “underrated.” Conley is a jack-of-all trades point guard, blessed with a vast skillset, but not really excelling at one particular skill. Add that to the fact that he plays for a team famous for their “Twin Towers” style offense, and you have a player that’s not really well appreciated within the casual fan community.

Strengths: Composure, Offensive Awareness, Control, Passing and Defensive Ability.

Conley has never been the focal point of an offense – Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol have all played a bigger role on offense than he has. And while Conley’s points (17.2) and assists (6.0) per game numbers may not wow you, do not let that fool Conley’s importance to the Grizzlies’ offense.

Memphis plays at the slowest pace in the league (92.25 possessions per 48 minutes) and their offense runs through Gasol and Randolph. But yet, Conley is still their go-to man. There are nights where the Grizzlies need Conley to score more, and nights where facilitator Conley is required. He hardly bats an eyelash as he changes roles with ease.

And how does he do that?

Conley’s scoring opportunities arise organically within the offense. He rarely goes hunting for his own shot, and is always on the lookout for the best opportunity available. He understands the plan of attack is to find the best scoring option available, and will patiently wait until it presents itself.

Watch Conley work and you’ll see that he spends most of his time on the ball content to bob and weave around the perimeter until a chance materializes. He is an extremely cerebral player, and uses pick-and-rolls with Gasol and Randolph brilliantly. He is deadly at rejecting screens – convincing defenders he’s using the screen, before crossing over immediately and leaving his man in his wake. Conley uses his speed and ambidexterity to launch into lanes and finish with either hand, or passing to open players whose defender has left to contain Conley’s dribble.

It is because of Conley’s ability to survey the defense and unselfishness that the Grizzlies are able to sustain a league-average offensive efficiency (103.3 points per 100 possessions) despite having the slowest pace in the league.

Another often overlooked quality of Conley’s is his defensive ability. Conley has built up his defensive skill over the years, slowly honing the art. He used to be a liability on defense, but is now the second-best perimeter defender on his team (behind Tony Allen). Conley’s speed and reach help him stick to his man and allows him to challenge each shot. Beyond that, Conley possess good defensive instincts and has shown a willingness to work on the defensive end. He may yet be one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA.

Weaknesses: 3-point shooting    

There isn’t much to say about Conley’s failings as a player. He does a lot of what is required of him from the Grizzlies, and plays within his abilities. However, the Grizzlies could always use more floor spacing and 3-point shooting.

Conley is averaging 37.2 percent and 2.9 3-point attempts per game for his career. Last season, he had a career high 1.4 3-point field goals and four 3-point attempts per game. For a team struggling with sharpshooting, especially with the departure of Mike Miller, Conley needs to improve on his range shooting. In the playoffs, Conley made only 0.4 3-point attempts on four attempts per game, counting for a measly 11.1 percent accuracy.

He has made small strides, but in order to be considered an elite point guard, Conley will need to improve his 3-point shooting.

Role and Expectations for Next Season

It’s a no-brainer; Conley is one of the main cogs of the Grizzlies machine. He uses his high basketball IQ to assess the needs of the team, and structures his game around it. While this may not garner the recognition of casual fans across the league, you can be sure Grizzlies’ fans will be very appreciative of his efforts.

In order for the Grizzlies to have more success in the wild, wild Western Conference, the will need Conley to make drastic improvements to his 3-point shooting, while building on the success he had last season.