Mike Conley has held the overarching title of "NBA's Most Underrated Player" ever since Charles Barkley started proclaiming the Grizzlies point guard deserved such a title. At the time it started, it was probably true. Conley was a defensive stalwart, an offensive leader and yet, he wasn't getting acknowledged for all the positives he brought to one of the NBA's best teams.
Now, though, as Conley has grown, so has his audience. People acknowledge how much he adds to the game. At this point, he's likely the Grizzlies' second-best player behind Marc Gasol, who's arguably the best center in the world. That's not a bad spot. And he's starting to pile up the accolades.
When Team USA released its list of 30 finalists to make the Olympic roster for the upcoming summer, guess who was on it: Conley.
Of course, there is a smattering of point guards who still have a chance of making the roster, including Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, John Wall and Kyrie Irving. Conley probably won't make the final roster because of that. But at least he's getting acknowledged as one of the country's best point guards and players. In that sense, he's no longer underrated.
