#Mike conley stts professional#

With Gay gone, someone was supposedly going to have to step in and fill his shoes taking and *making* big shots, as if that's what Rudy did or something. He even showed at times that he could step up and be the first option if the Grizzlies needed him to be. Gay's departure made Conley a more primary option on the Grizzlies offense, and he was an excellent second or third option all season. While Conley certainly deserves a lot of credit for improving his shot creation, shot selection, and being a more aggressive attacker with the ball in his hands over the last couple years, he certainly benefitted from Rudy Gay's departure at the midway point of this season. First, Conley averaged 14.6 PPG, a career high by almost one whole point per game.

While most of Conley's statistics did not see a dramatic leap between last year and this season, there are several areas where Conley's improvement can be measured on paper. After the conclusion of the Grizzlies 2012-13 season, it is safe to say that Conley has *officially* arrived on the big stage, and it's time for the NBA to take notice. He was lost, but now it seems as if he has found himself both as a person and basketball player. He didn't know what he was doing both on and off the court. As he stated himself, he was sad and frustrated the first several years of his career. He might have meant the tattoo to mean something else, but think about the tattoo in terms of how it represents Conley's career, whether he knows it does or not. Ironically, the tattoo has a double meaning that pertains to Conley's career. It is a Bible verse that reads 'Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.' (Luke 23:34) In an interview, Conley says he got the tattoo as a reminder to be patient and to help him remember that ignorant people are always going to say negative things. That's why Conley got the tattoo he currently has on his right bicep. Early in his career, he admitted that he was sad and viewed everything in a negative light. Fair or not, criticism was hurled at Conley from all angles.Īfter being extremely successful on the basketball court in high school and college, Conley faced adversity on the court for the first time, and it was something that clearly bothered him and that he struggled to overcome.

#Mike conley stts professional#

For the first three years of his professional career, Conley struggled to live up to the expectations of a fourth overall pick. With an albatross around his neck, Conley began his NBA career with a slow start out of the gate, unlike his father, a track star. He was not prepared to handle that pressure and carry a franchise like any top five pick is expected to do, whether those expectations are realistic or not. It's not that Conley was not an excellent selection, it's just that any player the Grizzlies drafted was going to seem like a disappointment compared to Durant, who was supposed to be Memphis' 'chosen one.' Conley had to know this. Needless to say, the Grizzlies organization and fans displayed collective disappointment. That number one pick would have landed the Grizzlies the ever so coveted Kevin Durant.

Players that get picked that high have enough pressure as it is, but add the fact that the Grizzlies were theoretically supposed to have the number one pick after finishing a horrendous 2006-07 season with the worst record in the NBA, and that put even more pressure on the young point guard. It was June 28, 2007, and Conley had just been selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 4th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. When Mike Conley entered the NBA, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.