Mike Conley Deserves Your Attention
His $153 million contract was a target of criticism, but Mike Conley is part of the Point Guard elite and he’s shown it in a big way.
“Don’t you, forget about me
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t
Don’t you, forget about me”Simple Minds — Don’t You Forget About Me
Who knows if Mike Conley is a Simple Minds’ fan, but their hit song is nevertheless applicable to the Grizzlies guard. The Memphis floor general has never made a fuss, he isn’t fancy, he doesn’t dress exuberantly, and his playing style is similar. Efficient, quiet, but effective.
It got him paid in a big way, when he landed the biggest contract in NBA history (for now) with a five-year, $153 million deal. There were critics, and harsh ones at that. They remain now of course, but that is a natural part of being in the spotlight. That being said, it wasn’t the first time either he’d been torn down for signing a lucrative deal.
Matt Moore, a respected voice of the NBA, once described his original rookie extension of five years, $45 million with a Twitter tirade that is still famous seven years later. It was truly so brutal there is simply too much on there to breakdown, thus the rant would span this entire column.
Conley proved Moore wrong then, and a lot of people in the process. It is forever a reminder to not judge any contract or trade in a vacuum; they are more often than not an investment. With his record breaking deal now, he’s proving his critics wrong once again. Moore’s tweet in the midst of the Grizzlies game four win over the San Antonio Spurs was a good encapsulation.
The Memphis cornerstone became the first Grizzlies player in franchise history with 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a playoff game, with a Saturday masterpiece. 35 points on 13-of-23 from the field including 4-of-8 from three, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, hitting crucial shots and playing an extremely high level of defense.
It helped the underdog Grizzlies level the series at 2–2 heading back to San Antonio, in a series most expected San Antonio to dominate and win in 5 games or less. But like their series rivals who have a reputation for never dying, the Grizzlies don’t just roll over.
Memphis are emboldened by their leaders, Conley and his close friend Marc Gasol. Two blue-collar, lunch pail stars who put their gear on and go to work with minimal fuss. They define a city who have embraced the identity of their team and vice versa. New coach David Fizdale appears a perfect fit for his city too, and it was his brilliant post Game 2 outburst which fired the team up to rally back from a 2–0 deficit.
With Gasol returning from a serious foot injury this season, it is Conley who has taken the reins of the team. Statistically he was certainly the barometer for them this season, as they were 7.5 points worse per 100 possessions when he sat on the bench. His improvement as a 3-point shooter despite the uptick in volume has been impressive, and has blossomed from 36.3 percent on 3.8 attempts in 2015–16 to 40.7 percent on 6.1 attempts per game this season.
Conley’s True Shooting Percentage took a leap from 53.8 percent to 60.4 percent, 6th amongst all Point Guards. The guard has honed his efficiency and learned to value his shots better, working more out of his most comfortable areas. Comparing his shot charts over the last two season offers visible proof of his improvement all over the floor.
As a result, Conley has become far more lethal from the left side of the floor. He’s never been elite at getting to the rim, but Fizdale’s implemented system has surrounded him with more shooters and encourages him to shoot more of his own.
Fizdale has also empowered Conley to create more for himself as a ball handler. This season his percentage of assisted three pointers was 56.1 percent. Before 2016–17, it had never been lower than 70 percent.
With more shooters around him, Conley has relished the space. It’s brought huge improvement in the catch and shoot, but it’s his pull up game that has also enjoyed serious benefit.
With greater usage comes greater responsibility, and he responded with a career year, 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals. The number of fellow Point Guards that matched those numbers?
James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Kyle Lowry, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. What about those with Conley’s basic numbers, including at least a PER of 23.2, a Win Shares per 48 Minutes of .205 and 10 Win Shares overall?
Westbrook, Harden and Curry. That’s it.
Unfortunately Conley doesn’t have the raw power of Westbrook, destructive capability of Harden or the splash of Curry, but what he has is an incredible Basketball IQ. It allows him to calm the play and tear his opponents to shreds with a slow burn that is strangely unappreciated. It’s beauty is in it’s finesse, but is missed out in small-market Memphis by the wider NBA.
His bond with Gasol is best represented on the floor, and their pick and roll play has been sensational this season, particularly with Gasol’s increasingly expanding range.
This time, it’s Gasol setting Conley up.
Conley’s offensive game is built on crafty movements, half-steps and fakes. It allows him to create space and against the right player (this time David Lee), and get to the rim for a tough finish.
Those clever moves are on show here again, as he destroys Patty Mills and uses one of his floaters — he’s also one of the few players in the NBA very adept at completing them off either foot. Something more difficult than it sounds.
His last piece of brilliance is his improved outside play. Instead of catching the ball with Danny Green on his hip and proceeding to the crowded paint area (with Kawhi Leonard waiting for him), he smartly fakes Green out, turns around and pulls up above the break and drills a three.
It is art, and perhaps poetry is the best way to describe his play. Smooth, but can be more savage than you think. It’s no surprise his style is understated of course — he’s never received a technical foul in his entire career, but it may go towards explaining why people don’t take notice of him in a bigger way.
He won’t always be on the Sportscenter Top 10 plays, or dominating your highlight reels. But Mike Conley will always be making your Point Guard’s life a living hell at both ends. Don’t forget about him.
All statistics are utilized via Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com unless otherwise stated. All video is via 3Ball.io.
