Memphis Grizzlies: The murky point guard situation

The Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard situation has been murky all season. Without Mike Conley, can the team figure out a solution?

It’s been a long year for the Memphis Grizzlies. Sitting at 11-24 with two games remaining before the new year is not where anyone anticipated the franchise being at this point in the season, and things may be spiraling out of control.

The point guard situation has been a large cause for concern so far. Can it be fixed to help right the ship the rest of the way, or do the Grizzlies need to figure out some other solutions?

The usual starting point guard in Memphis is Mike Conley, a fringe superstar. Conley has led the team to seven straight playoff appearances and has been at the helm of success for a substantial amount of time. He even led the Grizzlies to a conference finals appearance. This season when he’s played, the Grizz have a 7-5 record, which over a full season would project to roughly 48 wins.

Without Conley, Memphis is 4-19. His 107 offensive rating is sixth on the team, and far and away the best of any point guard on the roster; the next-best is Andrew Harrison‘s 103. The team can’t do much without him, and now it is in a tough situation.

The most common starter in Conley’s stead had been Harrison. While he’s a fine rotation-level backup point guard, he’s struggled as a starter. For one thing, he can’t really guard anyone. Like, anyone. His Defensive Box Plus-Minus (DBPM) is -0.9 and his defensive rating is 110, so the Grizzlies have trouble stopping opponents when he is on the court. He also struggles to put the ball in the basket efficiently, with a lowly true shooting percentage of 51.2 percent.

He’s only shooting 10 percent from the 10-16 foot range, an improbably low number. He can’t put the ball in the hoop from anywhere, and his finishing is ugly from a medium distance:

If he can’t help his teammates out on either end of the floor and he can’t hit a shot, he’s not helping the starting unit.

Adapting to Harrison has been challenging, but it has been less challenging than trying to mesh with the other point guard who has started a few games, Mario Chalmers.

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On the surface, the biggest problem is that Chalmers is shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from long range. Both of those numbers are just terrible.

Chalmers offers so little else that if his shot is not falling, it is hard to keep him out there on the hardwood. His offensive rating is an unplayable 92, per Basketball-Reference. That is way below the lowest team figure in the league and his defensive rating of 107 does him no favors either.

The team basically does nothing well with him on the court. His turnover percentage of 17.4 percent puts the ball in the other team’s hands frequently, which is concerning given his aforementioned defensive rating.

If he can’t make this pass, what is he on the court for?

The point guard situation is a complete trainwreck without Conley. They need him back soon if they are going to right the ship and not completely lose the season. His timetable was two weeks away as of Nov. 14, so who knows what is going on with his Achilles.

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If he is going to be out for longer, the Grizzlies may need to look for a trade. It is a tough situation, and how the front office handles it will be very telling about the Memphis Grizzlies’ future outlook.