Honorable Mention: Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
Position: Point Guard
Age: 29 (10/11/1987)
Experience: 10th Season
2016-17 Slash Line: .459/.407/.859
2016-17 Season Averages: 33.2 MPG, 20.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 2.5 3PM
Towards the end of the 2016-17 NBA regular season, Mike Conley supplanted Marc Gasol as the best player on the Memphis Grizzlies. He didn’t do it for long enough to be ranked ahead of Gasol, but simply watching the games will show you that it happened.
With Gasol earning the Top 20 nod for a full season of work, it’s only fair that the No. 21 ranked player, Conley, receive an honorable mention.
Conley finished 2016-17 at No. 20 in the NBA in Real Plus-Minus, as well as No. 11 in Offensive RPM. Memphis recorded net ratings of +3.1 with Conley on the court and -3.9 without him, which is a difference of 7.0 points per 100 possessions.
Say what you will about the cost of his contract, but in 2016-17, Conley was worth every penny to a Grizzlies team that was devastated by injuries.
Conley is a clutch, efficient, and reliable player who produces strong numbers and steps up when the game is on the line. He rarely turns the ball over, has become an elite 3-point shooter, and is still respected as a rugged on-ball defender.
Conley has four more seasons to go on his record-setting contract, but in the first year, he fully justified the investment Memphis made in him.