9. Mike Conley Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Conley remains one of the better defensive stoppers at his position, which provides the basis for his placement at No. 9. He doesn’t have the same size and length that teams and scouts preach nowadays, but he has excellent instincts and quick hands that allow him to force steals while grilling folks in isolation.
He combines that defensive presence with an increasingly productive offensive repertoire as well, averaging 20.5 points per game while shooting 40.8 percent from deep last season. He doesn’t do anything overly flashy, but works smoothly in the pick-and-roll with Marc Gasol and adds to his scoring with a handful of impressive dimes each night.
With the Grizzlies’ core starting fall apart, Conley will be leaned on as heavily as ever next season. The talent around him is lacking, which means the playoffs are likely out of the picture, but we’ll get a sense for how his efficiency holds up with a greater workload.