Whenever I get an alert that Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is dealing with some sort of injury, regardless of body part, I admit I panic a bit. Conley was iffy for Monday night against the Denver Nuggets due to a finger problem, but he played, and while it was not his most efficient shooting effort, nobody can complain about 19 points, six assists and a pair of steals and 3-pointers. Conley's numbers look precisely like they did two seasons ago, when he graduated from years of nice but hardly special numbers into surprising, unannounced and underrated stardom.
A quick check of the latest Player Rater shows Conley
There are similarities there, I suppose, because people still view Embiid as brittle, even though I disagree. He has missed one game this season, and it sure seemed necessary. When Conley is not 100 percent healthy we worry, because last season he struggled statistically at the onset due to a foot/Achilles problem and then was suddenly ruled out indefinitely in mid-November after 12 games and then ... he simply did not suit up again. What was worse is that Conley remained on fantasy rosters until late-January, when the team mercifully announced he would need surgery. Conley is 31. The last time he played more than 73 games in a season was 2013-14. He slipped to the sixth round in ESPN average live drafts.
Some would look at Conley and note that he has yet to miss a game in two months and thus, based on his past, believe some or many are pending, so it would be a wise time to peddle him in trade talks and see what happens. That is fair. Players do not generally add the skill of health as they age. Conley is 22nd in the NBA in minutes played, and only five of those players are older. Conley is a risk in that sense, but when he plays, he is quite the asset. In fact, he is shooting more than ever, with a career-high 16.2 field goal attempts per game, but based on his history, his percentage should rise. His 6.5 assists per game is tied for his career best, set seven seasons ago.
The Grizzlies boast only two players rostered in half of ESPN standard leagues in Conley and center Marc Gasol, a fourth-round choice in fantasy, currently 21st on the Player Rater.
Rookie big Jaren Jackson, only available to them as an early lottery pick because the team tanked after the Conley injury, is vastly underrated in fantasy. Consistency is not there yet, but he is 19. Were you consistent at 19? Jackson can do everything. He scores and can rebound more, has 3-point range and blocks shots. JaMychal Green is finally healthy and grabbing boards. Garrett Temple hits 3-pointers. Joakim Noah is there to teach and block a shot. The Grizzlies are currently in playoff position but cannot stay there sans Conley. Heck, they probably cannot stay there regardless, but dare to dream.
In the same league in which I have kept Conley for years, I drafted Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young -- here we go again -- and there has already been interest from others in acquiring the youngster. I checked into it and decided I still needed what Young could provide in scoring and assists, even though I roster other point guards who are playing just fine, like the Pelicans' Tim Frazier and Orlando's D.J. Augustin.
They lack the upside of Young, obviously, and the reliability of Conley, even if he misses, say, 10 of the team's final 50 contests. I cannot panic and trade Conley before injury occurs. Point guards who do everything are too valuable, and Conley remains underrated.
Other thoughts
Frazier is a pass-first point guard with limited shooting skills, kind of like Philly's T.J. McConnell, though the journeyman is hitting his 3-pointers nicely so far. He is not a scorer and not a big steals option, but those in points leagues might not notice. This likely will not last, and Elfrid Payton could return in three weeks. McConnell can continue his valuable play as a reserve, though.
Kris Dunn returned to the Chicago Bulls' lineup on Monday to little fanfare, but it is clear he is a better starting option than Ryan Arcidiacono, who cannot break down a defense. Dunn can. He had six assists in 20 minutes. Time is running out to get a potential top-50 -- OK, top-75 -- player.
My guess is Philadelphia will miss Jimmy Butler for at least a week with a groin injury suffered Monday. Four different bench options hit two or more 3-pointers and scored in double digits in the home win over the Pistons. Furkan Korkmaz is not a strong defender in the least, but he has range, and Philly's schedule this week is full. Not a bad short-term fill-in. Stop asking about Markelle Fultz. It is not going to happen.
Hassan Whiteside has missed three games due to the birth of a child, and we congratulate him and his family and wish them well, but I cannot help but wonder what would happen if Bam Adebayo kept earning big minutes. He can't if Whiteside plays. Whiteside is great, a rebounding, shot-blocking fool, but Adebayo, 21, is a future star, too, and a DFS star of late. Get him now in keepers just in case.
I wish plus-minus were a standard fantasy category. I look at the column in the daily box scores and think it measures defensive prowess, at least to a degree. There should be some reward for Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez being a plus-32 against lowly Cleveland Monday while fellow starter Malcolm Brogdon was only a plus-4, right? Using plus-minus would certainly make one think twice about rostering Bulls shooter and defensive matador Zach LaVine!