Analysis of the Memphis Grizzlies Draft Class

The Memphis Grizzlies have been struggling with a ton of injuries throughout the season, which ultimately played a major role in their absence from the NBA playoffs. They acquired a top-10 pick due to their absence from the playoffs, so while they bring in young talent, they will also have a healthy roster heading into next season, so they will be aiming for an NBA championship.

Let’s take a closer look at each choice they made and a summary of their project.

Rumor had it that the Grizzlies’ top priority in this year’s draft was to add size to the interior, and that’s exactly what they did. While it seemed like UConn’s Donovan Clingan was their top priority, they still ended up with the biggest guy in the entire draft, Zach Edey. The 7-foot center is incredibly talented for his size, which allowed him to dominate the college game and become a two-time NCAA national player of the year.

Edey is an elite finisher around the rim who has great feel for the paint. He led college basketball in dunks, so having an elite point guard like Ja Morant around him will allow him to get plenty of easy finishes around the rim. The former Boilermaker is a very good shooter who has an unstoppable right hook over the left shoulder that college defenders have never found an answer for. Expect Edey to capitalize on mismatches when he gets the ball in the paint.

He is a double-double machine because he is a great rebounder on both ends of the court. Given his unrealistic size of 7-foot-5 and 7-foot-11 arm span, he is a good interior defender who changes shots around the rim. The main concern with Edey is how he will perform in the NBA. He lacks defensive versatility because of how slow he is and has trouble defending in space. When defending screens, he is only effective in drop defense because he is unable to provide any other effective protection.

Early in the second round, the Grizzlies selected 6-foot-7 forward Jaylen Wells from Washington State. Before joining Washington State, Wells was a star at the Division II level, where he was a high-level scorer and scorer at Sonoma State. In his sophomore season at Sonoma State, he averaged 22.4 points on 51.7 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.

His 3-point shooting certainly translated to the Division I level, as he shot 41.7 percent from beyond the arc at Washington State. Despite being drafted in the second round, Wells was one of the best 3-and-D prospects in the entire draft. His most NBA-ready skill is his outside shot, as he excels as a spot-up shooter and has shown the ability to shoot off the dribble. Defensively, he has the size and tools to defend up and down the lineup.

The next step for Wells is to improve his consistency on both ends of the court. He has the tools and the skills to be a very good NBA player. It’s just a matter of finding the right opportunity and taking advantage of it when he gets to the NBA. He likely won’t see a ton of minutes with the Grizzlies right away, but with a few years of development, he could be a solid addition to Memphis’ rotation.

One of the last picks in the entire draft was UConn’s Cam Spencer, who played a huge role in UConn winning its second national championship in two years. Like Wells, Spencer’s best NBA skill is his shooting, as he shot 44 percent on nearly six 3-pointers per game.

The thing that scouts loved about Spencer coming out of college was that he’s more than just a sniper. He has a very good feel for the game and you can see that in some of the passes he makes off the dribble and in screens. Spencer has also shown that he’s a good shooter off the dribble, with a tantalizing ability to shoot. If defenders get him off the line in the NBA, he’s capable of doing one-two pull-ups on the dribble because he’s a very good pull-up shooter.

On the other hand, Spencer is quite short for a forward, at 6-foot-3, and his length is average, so he will be somewhat limited as a defender and will have trouble defending bigger forwards. While it is unlikely that he will have a long NBA career, he does have the potential to be a regular in the lineup with his long-range shooting and great feel for the game.

The Grizzlies probably could have gone in a better direction with some of their picks, but they’ve made it clear they want to improve their depth with proven college shooters and experienced college players. While many scouts are skeptical about Edey making the NBA, he could be in a perfect situation. Playing alongside elite, young point guard Ja Morant will allow him to find much easier positions and become much more comfortable on offense.

The pick-and-roll game between Edey and Morant should be very good. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a great big man who can play alongside Edey because they complement each other well. Jackson is an elite defender and rim protector, which Edey will struggle to do. On the other hand, Edey is a great rebounder and basket scorer, which Jackson struggles to do. The fit is even better because of Jackson’s ability to stretch the floor.

With their second-round pick, they prioritized acquiring proven college scorers Spencer and Wells. It’s highly unlikely that either of them will see the court in their rookie season, but expect them to be ready if their name is called. Overall, this was a solid draft for the Grizzlies, and we should expect them to be back in the playoffs and competing for a championship next season.

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