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NBA Memphis Grizzlies

Grading Memphis Grizzlies Guard Mike Conley’s Performance In November

By @The_Only_Grubes

Mike Conley

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

The Memphis Grizzlies have gotten off to one of the hottest starts in the NBA this season, and Mike Conley has had one of the biggest impacts on the Grizzlies early on.

Conley had already established himself as a phenomenal point guard before this season started. With what he has done so far, Conley has cemented himself in the top-10 conversation and may even be included in most-improved talks as well. Conley has been more aggressive on offense this season, a trend that has seemed to go upwards each year that he is in the league. So far, he is taking 12.7 field goal attempts per game, 1.7 more than his career average of 11.

His willingness to score is certainly welcomed with open arms by the Grizzlies, who have struggled to put points on the board over recent years. The Grizzlies haven’t exactly matched their top-flight defense with a capable offense, but that has changed this year thanks in no small part to Conley’s contributions.

Conley is scoring 16.2 PPG on 43.3 percent shooting from the floor, and while that is slightly below his career average of 44.1 percent, his 3-point shooting has improved tremendously, climbing all the way up to 46.7 percent, which is remarkable considering he shot 36.1 percent from beyond the arc last season. Granted, it is still very early, but this improvement has opened up a whole new world of scoring opportunities for the guard.

He has always had the speed and penetration skills to get into the lane, but his opportunities have not been there on a lot of possessions because he has not been the most respectable shooter during his time in the NBA. Defenses were able to collapse and make him beat them from deep, but now that Conley has to be respected as a shooter, defenders have to play up on him more, giving him more of a chance to use his quick dribble moves to get around them and get into the lane, where he is at his best.

As far as distributing the ball goes, Conley is averaging 6.1 APG, showing that he has not dropped off one bit in that area. Conley has the speed and court vision to really be a prolific passer in any given game, but it has been great to see him be a more active scorer from night to night. Taking care of the ball has also been a plus, as he is only averaging two turnovers per game, which is impressive considering how much he handles the ball for this team.

Defensively, Conley has continued to give it his all and be a force on that end of the floor. Point guards do not want to go up against Conley and for good reason. He has lightning-quick instincts and moves his arms effectively to create deflections and steal opportunities to get his team out on the fast break for easy buckets. Conley has also been above average at playing team defense and switching off-ball screens, even locking down taller players in a pinch.

That kind of defensive versatility from a guard is highly coveted in the NBA, making Conley one of the better defenders for his position.

Conley has been a top performer for this Grizzlies team early on as expected. It is hard to argue that he has not been one of the better point guards in the league, and that should not change as the season goes on. Conley is a hard worker who is here to stay, and that is something he won’t let others take away from him.

Grade: A

Nathan Grubel is an NBA writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @The_Only_Grubes, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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