Memphis Grizzlies: 5 Things To Watch For With Mike Conley Out

4. Areas For Concern

The Grizzlies could add a veteran player for the short-term to get them through the next 6-8 weeks, or at least until Parsons and/or Ennis return using the hardship exception, but they might also just roll with their ultra-inexperienced backcourt and hope they can survive in the meantime.

No matter who the Grizzlies turn to with Conley out, there’s no question that Memphis has some obvious areas of concern to address.

First of all, the Grizz will be missing their leading scorer, which could be an issue for the NBA’s 26th-ranked offense. They’re also going to be missing a player who accounts for nearly 29 percent of their assists — an obvious concern for a team ranking 25th in assists at 19.8 per game.

In terms of spreading the floor, the Grizz are shooting just 33.2 percent from three-point range, good for 23rd in the NBA. Taking the team’s best three-point shooter and his 46.7 percent efficiency from downtown is an absolute killer to the offense.

Finally, there’s the obvious issue of depth. Memphis ranked a respectable 10th in bench scoring at 36.2 points per game before Conley’s injury, but backcourt depth is wearing thin, even with Vince Carter and Zach Randolph doing such a great job this season supplying the scoring punch for the reserves. Memphis’ bench point differential of -0.5 is only going to get worse.

Andrew Harrison has been pretty solid defensively, but there’s no replacing a stout backcourt defender like Conley, especially with two first-year players. In nearly every aspect of the game, Conley’s absence will be felt.