Hoops4Life.com - Profile: Mike Conley Jr

Profile: Mike Conley Jr - by the.game

Written by the.game

Thursday, 26 April 2007

Mike Conley Jr | 10.11.87 | Indianapolis, IN
Ohio State | Freshman | PG | 6'1 | 180
31.6 MPG | 11.3 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 6.1 APG | 2.77 A/TO | 2.2 SPG | 0.518%FG

Strengths

If your father is an Olympic triple jump gold medalist, like Mike Conley's is, that's a good start right there. Conley obviously inherited some of that athleticism with his superb quickness, end-to-end speed, jumping ability and body control. Conley's ability to get into the lane and keep his dribble alive has made him a favorite amongst pro scouts and his ability to finish in the paint with either hand (shoots left handed but is a naturally right handed) or make a variety of passes makes them salivate. It's not just his physical abilities which have made him one of the hottest prospects going around, it is his ridiculous poise, maturity and basketball IQ for a true freshman which has elevated his stock into the top ten. He rarely makes a bad decision (self explanatory when you look at his A/TO ratio and FG%) on either end of the floor and is quite simply, one of the most impressive natural leaders in all of basketball. His hustle, quickness on defense, anticipation and willingness to stay in front of his man has made him the premier PG prospect in the 2007 draft.

Weakness

Conley's shooting ability is his Achilles heel though respectable for the time being, it will really need to work at it if he wants to be given the same amount of respect at the next level. This applies to his stroke from any part of the court and especially from 15-20 feet and the FT line.

Notes

Finally emerged from the gigantic shadow of Greg Oden, a longtime friend and seemingly teammates since birth. Conley emerged as the leader of the Buckeyes despite being a freshman and was arguably the most valuable player for the national runner-up. Unflappable, Conley's poise throughout the season and especially the tournament has made him a draft prospect sooner than even he anticipated. His father has just started a sports agency so finding an agent won't be a problem when/if he decides to stay in the draft. Conley has been compared to Chris Paul on more than a few occasions and like Paul, he looked up to Isiah Thomas as a youngster. Kevin Johnson is also a good comparison.

Draft Projection

High-mid Lottery (3-7)

Your Thoughts?

(Written by the.game )