These 3 players have no business being ahead of Keegan Murray in recent NBA rankings
By Mat Issa
Player #2: Mike Conley
Action Network Ranking: #67
Why Murray Should Be Ranked Over Conley: Listen, Mike Conley has been a very good basketball player for a very long time, and the fact that he put together the season he did (64th in Estimated Plus-Minus) at the age he did (36) deserves our utmost respect. But at the end of the day, he has no business being ranked ahead of our Murray.
Let's start with the obvious. Conley – even with how gracefully he has aged – is due for some regression as he enters his age-37 campaign. Meanwhile, Murray, who just turned 24, is on the up and up.
Then there's the fact that the game of basketball favors size. At 6'8, Murray is much more well-equipped to deal with the incoming giant ball movement than someone like Conley is at 6'1.
Lastly, you need to think about it from an archetypal perspective. Murray is a two-way wing/forward who fits well next to on-ball stars. Meanwhile, Conley is a good, but not great offensive creator who is a liability on defense against high-level opponents. In a vacuum, the former is more valuable than the latter and gives you more flexibility from a team-building perspective.
We love you, Conley, but you shouldn't be ahead of Murray in the 2024-25 top 100 rankings.