Memphis Grizzlies: Can Mike Conley Stay Healthy Enough To Reach Stardom?

Mike Conley arrived at Memphis Grizzlies training camp the masked man, and, like Bruce Wayne early in “Dark Knight Rises,” his body is the biggest question upon his return.

Even though the 6’1″, 190-pound point guard is only turning 28 in October, one must seriously ponder whether he can hold up long enough to combine all his traits on both ends of the floor and become an elite floor general.

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At the beginning of last season, Conley seemed poised to complete his quest for an All-Star spot. He had scored 16.9 points per game in the second half of 2012-13, and then realized career highs of 17.2 points per game and 45 percent shooting in 2013-14.

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Finally, he had the scoring to match his top-notch defense. Conley had been in the top six in steals per game before dropping to 1.6 per game in 2013-14. He made the 2012-13 All-Defensive Second Team after leading the league in steals.

The first half of last year was fine. He dropped 16.9 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from three-point range. That was just good enough to gain him consideration as one of the biggest All-Star snubs.

NBA.com’s Joe Bozell lamented the perennial disappointment of watching Conley miss the cut again, saying, “You have to feel for Conley, because honestly, it’s really hard to say when he’s ever going to make an All-Star game.”

Indeed, Conley is playing in a Western Conference that’s on the heavy side of the golden age of the point guard. Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry soared high above all others. Even Damian Lillard was an injury replacement.

But Conley’s luck became hurtful after the All-Star break. He battled through a right ankle sprain, back pain and a right foot sprain. Despite how hard he tried playing through ailments, Conley missed 12 games, the most since his rookie year in 2007-08.

His production dipped as he averaged 13.4 points per game and shot 41.9 percent from the field and 35 percent from long range after the All-Star break.

Further, Conley appeared a step slower. He wasn’t keeping up on defense, and it increased the burden on Tony Allen to protect the perimeter. Conley’s shooting rhythm wasn’t as good. Perhaps as a protective measure, he took more three-pointers.

The toughest blow came in Game 3 of the first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers when he suffered a facial fracture amid a collision with Portland’s C.J. McCollum.

Conley came back to score 22 points in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, but the adrenaline of the return wore off and he seemed tired during the series as he averaged 11.3 points per game on 31.3 percent shooting.

After the Warriors eliminated Memphis, The Commercial Appeal’s Peter Edmiston gave the list of Conley’s injuries via Twitter, which included a left wrist sprain, right wrist sprain, facial fracture, back pain, right foot sprain and a strained neck.

The facial injury is ostensibly still an issue, since he’s sticking with the mask. As quoted by SB Nation’s Chris Faulkner and Chip Williams, Conley said during the Grizzlies’ media day on Monday, “I’m going to keep the mask, at least for a little while.”

But the most worrying part of his interview was when he remarked, “I told my wife last night that this is as good as my body will feel for a long time.”

Seemingly, Conley conceded that his body could be troubling him throughout the season, whether it’s his face or foot or ankle, which CBSSports.com’s Matt Moore reported had plagued Conley for three years, or anything else.

Most players endure pain as part of the rigors of a long NBA season. However, Conley suffered a variety of injuries through the past two years. During the spring, it took a toll on his body.

This is an exhibit of age being less important than other numbers. Before last season, Conley had averaged between 33.5 and 35.5 minutes per game four straight years.

Also, he spent time as an undersized slasher. At first, Conley’s rise as a scorer resulted from his success attacking the basket. More recently, he pivoted to more perimeter action.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/30/2015.

If Conley continues to incrementally take a greater portion of his shots from downtown, he may shield himself from some of the bruises he experiences. The extent will be limited, since Conley, a 37.5 percent career three-point shooter, will never become a high-volume three-point shooter akin to Stephen Curry.

He’ll still drive and bank layups while flying to the baseline because he’s effective doing it.

Fans might cringe when he crashes to the rack, but Conley will do everything he wishes with his blinding quickness. One only wonders how long that quickness remains if he continues to battle through injuries. For now, the aim is for him to stay strong enough to not only get the elusive All-Star spot, but also help the Grizzlies sustain a deep playoff run.

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