Kennedy Chandler is a small man with big dreams and he turned one of them into a reality this Thursday night as the Memphis Grizzlies selected him as the 38th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The 38th pick originally belonged to the Spurs in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, the Grizzlies liked Chandler enough to execute a trade with San Antonio for the rights to draft him. (via Adrian Wojnarowski)
Memphis is acquiring Tennessee's Kennedy Chandler in a trade with San Antonio at No. 38 for a future second-round pick and cash, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2022
There is a lot to love about Chandler, and he's certainly checked a lot of boxes for the Grizzlies to take him this high in the 2022 NBA Draft. At just 6-1, Chandler must have heard a lot about fans and scouts questioning whether he has what it takes to make things happen on both ends of the floor, especially defensively. But with his experience playing for the Volunteers, who had one of the stingiest defenses in the 2021-22 NCAA basketball season, he should have all the confidence in the world to prove the doubters wrong.
Chander averaged 30.8 minutes per game for the Vols in his first and only season in college and yet Tennessee opponents couldn't fully exploit mismatches against him. Tennessee finished the regular season third nationally in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency with just 86.4 points allowed per 100 possessions Chandler's quick hands helped the Volunteers punish opposing teams. He was 30th in Division I basketball that season with a 4.1 steals percentage, according to KenPom.
Chandler is also lethal from beyond the arc, having connected on over 38 percent of his 3-point attempts with the Volunteers. He is still going to need a lot of polishing with his free-throw shooting (60.6 FT% in college), but that's clearly an aspect of his game the Grizzlies can help him improve.
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