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Mike Conley's career-high night shows Grizzlies are warming to the 3-ball
The Western Conference boasts a number of star point guards who get attention for putting up incredible highlights at stat lines with regularity. Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is definitely not one of them. While Conley is certainly good enough to be mentioned alongside the likes of Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, and Chris Paul as one of the West’s best floor generals, his style doesn’t exactly cry out for a mixtape or a trip to the Basketball Reference Play Index. His most readily identifiable strengths are his control of tempo, his steadiness, and his quality at both ends of the floor.
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That’s not to say Conley never demands attention, and that’s exactly what he did in Monday night’s 115-96 road blowout of the Phoenix Suns. His 38 points (12-of-18 FG, 7-of-10 3FG, 7-of-8 FT) set a new career high alongside nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals in 33 minutes.
Conley still looked very much like himself — his lack of fluidity is sometimes baffling, though no less effective for it — but he took shots he normally doesn’t and thrived. Conley came into this game having scored at least 30 points only eight times in his career, and he had dished out more than five assists in only two of those contests. Conley was at his best in this one, and the Grizzlies looked very dangerous.
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That is becoming a more regular occurrence at the offensive end of the floor. Memphis shot 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) on three-pointers, a number that would stand out more for this previously interior-heavy offense if it hadn’t gone for 17 triples as recently as New Year’s Eve. The Grizzlies still rank in the bottom 10 of the NBA in three-pointer percentage, but they’re in the upper half by attempts per game and look increasingly comfortable spacing the floor.
There’s still a long way to go to the postseason, but these are the reasons the Grizzlies brought in David Fizdale to replace Dave Joerger and specifically sought out shooters this summer. Most of the difference has come from players already on the roster — Marc Gasol’s evolution into a perimeter threat, in particular — but the change is apparent nonetheless.
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If things continue to work out, the Grizzlies could have another option when they look to grit-and-grind against favored clubs like the Golden State Warriors in the postseason. At No. 7 in the West, they have several teams to leapfrog to get a better seed. But they’re just two games back of the reeling Los Angeles Clippers for fourth, have won four of their last six, and look in excellent form.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
