Grizzlies could use Conley in new way
Mike Conley will play on a new court this season — one that matches the unconventional nature of his team’s offseason approach.
The grain of the court goes sideline to sideline, the only court in the NBA to feature such a style. Like the team itself, it’s unique.
And Conley could be featured in an unconventional way of his own. Though he’s listed as a point guard, though he’s been a primary ball handler for most of his career, this season could see Conley evolve even further as a scorer off the ball.
It’s a plan Conley discussed with former coach David Fizdale two offseasons ago. Fizdale wanted to unleash Conley’s 3-point shooting to generate points for an offensively shy bunch.
Conley responded with his firstever 20 point-per-game season, taking twice as many threes per game than he had averaged to that point in his career and making them at a career-best 40 percent clip.
That idea continued into last season, but a promising opening night performance was then followed by Conley’s season-ending ankle problems.
“It’s definitely something they want me to do,” Conley said of his offball discussions with coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his assistants. “In the state I am in my career, it helps me as a guard and as a scorer to be able to sit off the ball and rest some possessions and knock down shots.”
As a No. 1 scoring option, Conley was at his best in the 2017 first-round playoff series against the Spurs. He averaged 25 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent shooting from three.
He also had a usage rate of almost 30 percent, a number not far from the load carried by some of the NBA’s biggest scorers. Those are eye-opening possibilities for a team that will need a featured scorer to emerge.
But for Conley to be featured so heavily as that scorer, other players will have to create many of those shots for him. There is, after all, just the one ball.
That’s where the Grizzlies’ active and under-the-radar offseason
comes into play. The Grizzlies signed Kyle Anderson, who coincidentally played against Conley in that 2017 Spurs series, to be a creator on the ball.
“When Kyle and anybody else on the ball make plays, I don’t have to make plays for myself,” an excited Conley noted. “I’m excited about that and I think it bodes well for my season and our team.”
Small lineups, big lineups, the Grizzlies have a number of options to use alongside Conley on the court. Though not a terrific 3-point threat himself, Anderson can be surrounded by four outside shooters, one of which will be Conley. They’ll also play Conley in multiple two point guard lineups — meaning there will be times when three Grizzlies on the floor will be able to create offense at a high level, something that makes Conley appreciate the summer.
“Having guys like that is unbelievable for us. When you’ve got so much length, height, athletic ability, guys who work, guys who just play the right way, those are all things we wanted to accomplish this summer, and we did it in the smoothest way we could have done it.”
None of this will be worth much if Conley’s not healthy. As Griz VP John Hollinger put it in the Commercial Appeal last week, “(Mike Conley’s) health is by far the biggest factor in what our outcome will be this season, I don’t think there’s any way to sugarcoat that.”
That explains why Grizzlies fans are waiting expectantly for preseason, for a glimpse of Conley on the court. Conley knows. “I’m feeling on track. I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing, if not more. I’m just happy to be on the court, moving around pain-free, “Conley said. And he said Thursday that fans should expect to see him at full strength come October.
“I’m planning on it. I thought I was ready for USA basketball (in July), so I know I’m going to be ready for the season.”