Grading Every Memphis Grizzlies Player Heading into the 2015 NBA All-Star Break

The Memphis Grizzlies approach the All-Star break in an unfamiliar position, as they hold the third-best record in the NBA at 38-13. They've hung in the pack of contenders with strong performances from several players.

Marc Gasol has been one of the league's best throughout this campaign, although the focus has shifted regarding which aspect of his game best illustrates his primacy.

Among the grades for other starters, the time has come to make a serious evaluation of Jeff Green's early tenure with Memphis.

In addition, a few reserves, including a former starter who might find a place coming off the bench the rest of the year, provide crucial support.

These grades attempt to balance different parts of players' performances, which makes some grades less extreme than people may expect. For example, a player's excellent defensive performance might lessen the negative impact of a poor scoring run.

Statistics are current through Feb. 8 games. Unless otherwise noted, advanced metrics come from Basketball-Reference.com.

Marc Gasol

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Grade: B+

Marc Gasol has relaxed after his early-season offensive outburst to resume his deferential role. He's posted 16.1 points on 12.5 shots per game in the past 21 contests after 20.2 points on 14.7 over the first 30 games.

He has three 20-point games since Dec. 27 and only two with more than 15 field-goal attempts.

He's barreled to the basket less often and has passed more on the first read from the elbow. In that stretch he's averaged 3.9 assists per game, 0.2 more than before.

Despite his adjustment, he remains among the NBA's stars. He'll start in the All-Star Game, and NBA.com's Sekou Smith placed him at No. 5 in last week's MVP rankings.

He has also stepped up his defense, jumping to eighth with 99.6 points allowed per 100 possessions by allowing 98 since Dec. 30. He cemented a win against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 2 by blocking Markieff Morris' shot on the final play.

The Commercial Appeal's Chris Herrington remarked that Gasol is exercising greater focus on that end.

Mike Conley

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Grade: B+

Mike Conley is taking a small step forward this season as a scorer. Conley's 17.4 points per game is just 0.2 higher than last year, and his 19.5 per 36 minutes represent a one-point increase.

He has 17 games of 20 points or more, putting him on track to beat last year's mark of 26. The seventh-year player led the Grizzlies past the Atlanta Hawks with 21 points on Sunday.

While he doesn't score enough to reach the All-Star Game, Conley has gained wider recognition from national pundits. 

Grantland's Jonathan Abrams stated that due to his evolution, one can no longer call Conley "underrated."

Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin tabbed Conley as one of his All-Star snubs, saying, "Conley should have made the team last year, and he's having an equally great season this year. He's just unfortunate enough to play the most loaded position in the loaded Western Conference."

While he's moving forward offensively, Conley has regressed on the defensive end. He's allowing 105 points per 100 possessions, five more than in 2012-13. While his defensive rating of 106 was largely due to Gasol's 23-game absence, one must question his energy while working the perimeter, as he hasn't fought through as many screens or made as many multiple-effort plays.

Zach Randolph

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Grade: A-

Since returning from injury, Zach Randolph has been on a tear, reminding the league that he's still a force underneath.

Throughout the year, he has been outstanding on the glass. Randolph is sixth in the NBA with 12.1 rebounds per game and fifth with a 21.1 percent total rebounding rate.

But his offensive resurgence came after he returned on Jan. 9. He averaged 19.2 points per game on 53.4 percent from the field for 14 games through Feb. 4. That included a 12-game double-double streak.

The Memphis Flyer's Kevin Lipe declared that Randolph "is playing the best ball he's played since his 2012 MCL injury."

Still, raising his scoring average from 16.1 points per game through 26 games to 16.8 wasn't enough to win an All-Star appearance. However, he was the Western Conference Player of the Week for compiling 20.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per game in the last week of January.

Courtney Lee

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

Grade: B+

Courtney Lee has slowed after an amazing start, but even his slump looks good.

Following 52.4 percent three-point shooting in November and a 43.8 percent December clip, he's made 36.8 percent of his threes since Jan. 16, bringing his season percentage to 46.3.

His overall field-goal percentage has leveled off from 53.2 percent at the end of November to 47.9 percent.

His production is impressive, as he's put forth 10.9 points on 8.4 shots per game. Defensively, he's performed reasonably well, allowing 106 points per 100 possessions.

Jeff Green

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Grade: B-

Jeff Green has added a new dimension to the Grizzlies' offense, although he's doing it in an inefficient way thus far.

He's the volume scorer Memphis needed, creating for himself in isolation. As Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick tweeted, "Jeff Green is such a good pickup for the Grizzlies. Gives them a lot what [sic] they lacked."

Since Memphis acquired him on Jan. 12, he's scored in double figures a dozen times.

But while he has injected new scoring for the Grizzlies, averaging 12.4 points in 28.9 minutes per game, his 40.4 field-goal percentage is hardly reasonable for his level of activity. 

He's shot inconsistently in his 14 games with the Grizzlies, connecting on more than 40 percent six times and making more than a third of his threes four times. Still, he manages to hit 30.4 percent from downtown.

Green's defense has been more encouraging. He's allowing 103 points per 100 possessions, including 100 as a starter.

Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger told The Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery that Green can guard forwards and guards.

Tony Allen

Grade: B+

Tony Allen has been the most reliable, disruptive force for the Grizzlies defense. He's fourth in the league with 98.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, and his 4.1 percent steals rate leads the league. He swiped three balls from Oklahoma City Thunder players when the Grizzlies silenced them on Jan. 31.

Allen told Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling, "My goal is I don't want to stop playing until my guy stops playing. I want to leave my print on the game."

He certainly leaves his mark on the Grizzlies defense, with the team allowing 8.1 fewer points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor.

Lee told The Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins of Allen's defensive energy, "He's one of a kind. Never seen anything like it, but whatever it is, you want it on your team."

While he hasn't made as many shots fall recently, Allen's offensive performance doesn't detract from his defensive dominance. Allen has hit 44.4 percent in the past 16 games, compared with 47.5 percent beforehand.

Scoring 7.9 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from the field isn't bad for the defensive specialist, especially considering how he has picked his spots on that end. He has a 16.5 percent usage rate. His 1.9 turnovers per 36 minutes are the second-lowest clip of his career.

Beno Udrih

Grade: A-

Beno Udrih has been a strong backup point guard for the Grizzlies. He dishes out 6.2 assists per 36 minutes. His 50.3 percent shooting from the field is fantastic for someone who takes the bulk of his shots from the perimeter.

As Herrington said, "Udrih remains deadly shooting from mid-range and a crafty go-and-stop operator with the ball."

The 32-year-old hit better than 48 percent in each of the first three months.

SB Nation's Joe Mullinax noted how he continued to make an impact, plugging holes with teammates' absences, such as when Nick Calathes missed the first 13 games due to suspension and when Conley was out for two games with a sprained left wrist in January. Udrih played as seamlessly with the starters in in those starts as he did with the reserves while replacing most of the lost scoring.

Udrih posted 12.8 points and four assists while shooting 62.9 percent from the field in four starts.

He has managed to balance his strong offensive performance with attentive defensive play. Udrih allows 105 points per 100 possessions.

Kosta Koufos

Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images

Grade: B+

Koufos has performed well this season as a rim protector who periodically deposits buckets.

He anchors the Grizzlies' second-unit defense, allowing 98 points per 100 possessions and blocking 1.9 shots per 36 minutes. Koufos swatted consecutive Minnesota Timberwolves attempts with less than five minutes left on Friday.

CBSSports.com's Zach Harper noted how Koufos helped shut down the Hawks' big men on Sunday.

He's putting in solid work on the boards, even though his 10.7 rebounds per 36 minutes are a bit lower than his career rate of 10.9. His 25.3 percent defensive rebounding rate is a career high.

For someone who focuses much of his energy on the other end, Koufos' 52.7 percent shooting from the field is respectable and more characteristic than the 48 percent he shot before the All-Star break last year.

Vince Carter

USA TODAY Sports

Grade: D

Vince Carter hasn't shined in a bench role as the Grizzlies hoped. 

He's registering career lows of 33.4 percent shooting from the field and 27.3 percent from long range while scoring six points per game. The man who posted 20 per game 10 consecutive seasons is on his way to his first single-digit scoring average.

Carter's tendon injury in his right foot, which Tillery reported is keeping him out indefinitely, is a sad note for his first year in Memphis.

His defensive effort saves the year from being completely forgettable. He's allowed 103 points per 100 possessions while giving a consistent effort.

Jon Leuer

Grade: D+

Jon Leuer has mostly disappointed in his campaign as an inside big man.

His offense is less inspiring than when he was a perimeter shooter last year. He's shooting 45.2 percent from the field, a 4 percent drop. His weak spots are downtown (29.2 percent shooting, a 17.7 percent decrease) and between three and 10 feet (19.4 percent).

After Leuer's fast-break layup in the Grizzlies' win against the Hawks on Sunday, ESPN Radio Memphis' John Martin tweeted that Leuer reminds people what he can do once in a while. Unfortunately, Leuer only makes such plays occasionally.

His added strength has allowed for sound work on the boards. He's grabbing 9.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, 0.2 more than last year.

Others

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Nick Calathes: B

Calathes is progressing with strong recent performances. He shot 48.6 percent and had 2.7 assists per game in 16 contests from Jan. 7 to Feb. 6. He's now at 44.8 percent from the field for the season. 

His defense has been terrific. He had steals in 13 straight games and averages 2.5 per 36 minutes while allowing 101 points per 100 possessions.

Jarnell Stokes: C

Stokes has experienced some necessary growing pains as a rookie with the Grizzlies. He started twice, but both appearances were regrettably brief.

On Jan. 5, Stokes struggled through 17 minutes, notching three points, four fouls and two turnovers. He failed to dot anything on the stat sheet in four minutes running against Paul Millsap on Jan. 7.

While Stokes has fought hard underneath, he still has much work to do developing his 6'9", 265-pound frame into a rebounding force. His 13.5 total rebounding percentage underscores how he must learn to use his strength against more experienced big men.

Stokes has posted 13.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in nine contests for the NBA D-League's Iowa Energy.

He was suspended for three games for fighting teammate Kalin Lucas on the bench during an Energy game.

Jordan Adams: B

Adams has found occasional opportunities with the Grizzlies, averaging 2.4 points in 6.3 minutes on 41.4 percent from the field across 14 games. He has only six turnovers.

The rookie 2-guard has flashed his defensive talent in his limited time, allowing 100 points per 100 possessions. He blocked two shots against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 29.

He has scored 18.1 points per 11 games for the Energy. If Adams, who has only seen 10 minutes six times for the Grizzlies, gets significant playing time in more appearances with Memphis, he could better test his playmaking ability.

JaMychal Green: A

Green, whom the Grizzlies signed to a 10-day contract on Feb. 2, had a nice spot in their loss to the Timberwolves with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting.

One wouldn't expect the 24-year-old rookie to stay beyond this stint, as he has played five games in the NBA and 20 in the D-League this season.

Russ Smith: Incomplete

Smith hasn't played a game yet for the Grizzlies since being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 12. The rookie's averaging 18.8 points per game for the Energy, although that's unlikely to translate into anything for Memphis since they already have three point guards.