Underrated and Underappreciated Underdog Duo of the Memphis Grizzlies

Image from NBA.com.

It makes sense that two of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the league play for maybe the most perennially undervalued team. That's the case for Mike Conley, Jr., Marc Gasol, and the Memphis Grizzlies. As of this writing, the Grizz just lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 97-90, which is their second defeat in a row after rattling off four straight wins against the Bucks, Bulls, Hawks, and, ironically, the Spurs, too. Memphis is sitting pretty at #7 in the West, 5.5 games ahead of Denver. If they were in the East, the Grizzlies would be in the running for a top four seed. That's how good they are.

And that's because Conley and Gasol have been nothing short of stellar this season.

For starters, let's compare their numbers this season with their numbers from 2015-2016.


Conley '15-'16: 15.3ppg, 6.1apg, 3.0rpg, 1.2spg, 36.3 3pt%.
Conley '16-'17: 20.0ppg, 6.3apg, 3.6rpg, 1.3spg, 39.7 3pt%.

Gasol '15-'16: 16.6ppg, 6.9rpg, 3.8apg, 1.3bpg.
Gasol '16-'17: 19.9ppg, 6.3rpg, 4.6apg, 1.3bpg.

Obviously, both guys have been crazy good, but, true to the blue collar image of the team and the city for which they play, neither Conley nor Gasol are exactly headliners in the star-power-driven NBA news cycle. Sure, Gasol was named an All-Star reserve this year, but even that drew some raised eyebrows, especially from those who felt that Karl-Anthony Towns was snubbed. Conley, on the other hand, got another rebuff. This is a guy who is, arguably, having a better year than Gasol, but Conley just cannot get the All-Star nod he has deserved for oh so long. Sure, he has it tough being in the same conference as Steph Curry, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, but the fact of the matter is this is a guy who should have made the All-Star roster at least once already. His grand total? ZERO. 

Interestingly enough, for their want of bravado, swag, and hype, both Conley and Gasol have earned the respect of basketball purists, most notably because of how unstoppable this Memphis pairing has become when running one of the simplest plays in the sport — the pick and roll.

A stark example of this happened about a week ago, when the Grizzlies frustrated the Bulls. Both Conley and Gasol dropped 27 on the hapless Chicago quintet, eviscerating their opponents' defensive stand with their razor sharp execution of the pick and roll. Chicago kept sagging off Conley and the Arkansas native kept draining jumper after jumper. Gasol rolled to the 10-feet range, got the ball, and constantly swished Tim-Duncan-style mid-range Js.

A lot of fans and pundits critiqued Memphis's move to sign Conley to an eye-poppingly huge contract last summer, but, hey, who's laughing now, right? Gasol is an interesting story, too. He has come back from an injury that sidelined him for the homestretch of last season, and now he is having the best season of his life. 

Both Conley and Gasol missed the postseason for the Grizz in 2016, and the result was, as could be expected, an unceremonious sweep at the hands of (who else?) their age old nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs. 

How about this season, though? Well, with their ultimate grit-n-grind duo leading the way, Memphis has won 2 of 3 against San Antonio, and they are looking pretty good as they go on a four-game run to end March. They'll be the underdogs against the Dubs this weekend, but they should get back on track against the Kings, Pacers, and Mavs as they head into the final leg of the season in April. 

Memphis is known for being able to take the air out of the opposition by changing the pace and rhythm of a basketball game, and no two guys embody that more than Mike Conley, Jr. and Marc Gasol. They may be underrated and underappreciated on an underdog team, but they're also good enough to take the legs from under anyone foolish enough to make the critical mistake of overlooking them so easily.