The Memphis Grizzlies have missed Mike Conley and it’s been clear for all to see. The Grizzlies’ losing streak is now at 11 games, with nine of those defeats coming without Conley as their star point guard remains sidelined with his Achilles injury.
As one of the leaders on the Grizzlies’ team, Conley told Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal how hard it’s been to watch his team continue to lose without him as he thinks about how much better they would be with him there to help.
“It’s been stressful because it’s literally all out of my hands. I can’t control anything. I can’t be on the court to help. I can’t be there to console guys. It’s very hard to sit and watch because I know that we wouldn’t be in this position if I was playing. That’s why I feel some kind of accountability for this whole thing. It’s definitely hard on me. I know that we’re not the team we’ve been over the last couple of weeks. I know when I get back, we’ll be a completely different team.”
Memphis' record with and without Conley this season bears out just how valuable he is to the team. The Grizzlies are 7-5 with Conley in the lineup and 0-8 without him, which is a glaring contrast.
While Tyreke Evans has done his best to make up for Conley’s absence, it’s clear that the Grizzlies simply don’t have enough weapons to win without their star point guard.
If only Conley were healthy and playing, perhaps the Grizzlies would be a lot closer toward .500 and former head coach Dave Fizdale might still be on the job right now. But what's done is done, and Conley will need to follow through on his word by completely transforming the Grizzlies when he returns.
Follow Us
Subscribe