Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley has helped rebuild his confidence by playing the piano this season.

"It helps ease the stress," Conley said. "You get home, play the piano and feel better. It's something to chill with."

After a rough start to the season, Conley has appeared much more settled over the last month.

Conley is averaging 12.7 points on 49-percent shooting and 4.6 assists in December and he's shot better than 50 percent in eight of his last 12 games.

The veteran presence of Jamaal Tinsley has helped as well.

"Sometimes you have guys around you that don't want to see you do good. They want to see you mess up," Tinsley said. "I told (Conley) from the beginning 'I'm here to help you.' If we win games, everybody gets paid. At the end of the day, you've got to win.

"He's the starting point guard, and he's playing enough minutes so he has to stay aggressive. If you're not aggressive, then you have guys playing off you. You have to keep teams honest."