Despite narrowly missing out on the NBA playoffs after a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the play-in game, the Memphis Grizzlies have a lot of reason for optimism heading into the next season.
A big reason for that is their crop of talented young players, including newly-minted Rookie of the Year Ja Morant, big man Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks, and Brandon Clarke. By selecting these players in the NBA Draft in the last three years, Memphis has put itself in a position to contend for the playoffs in the next few seasons despite being in a highly-competitive Western Conference.
Since joining the league as an expansion team in 1995, the Grizzlies, which was first located in Vancouver before transferring to Memphis in 2001, have mostly nailed their selections in the draft.
The team, however, is not without its misses over the years, from selecting Hasheem Thabeet with the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft ahead of Steph Curry, James Harden, and DeMar DeRozan to trading away Kevin Love to the Minnesota Timberwolves after picking him fifth overall in the draft the year before.
But for most of its relatively young existence, the Grizzlies have shown that they can get the most out of their draft picks, as most of the best players that have played for the franchise also began their careers in Memphis.
Here are the five best draft picks in the Grizzlies history.
5. Jaren Jackson Jr.
The big man out of Michigan State hasn’t even played a full season for the Grizzlies, as he only played 58 games in his rookie year and didn’t finish his sophomore year due to a knee injury.
But the promise he’s shown in a short amount of time already puts the 20-year old Jackson as among the best draft selections in franchise history. There was some concern whether Jackson, who was selected with the fourth overall pick in 2018, should be picked alongside the likes of Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Marvin Bagley III.
But Jackson proved Memphis right by averaging 13.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in his rookie season while making 51% of his shots overall and shooting 36% from beyond the arc, which was enough to earn him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. The versatile big man improved his numbers in his second year, upping his averages to 17.4 points while making 47% of his shots and draining 39% of his 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies could have reached the postseason for the first time in three seasons if his sophomore year didn’t end prematurely, but nevertheless, he has already proven himself as one of the best draft decisions the Grizzlies have made.
4. Rudy Gay
Jackson may end up surpassing other players on this list as he continues his career, but for now, Gay’s six-plus seasons with the Grizzlies also proves that he was one of their best players taken in the draft.
The 34-year old Gay, who Memphis selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, was one of the best offensive players that the team has seen. He averaged 17.9 points on 46% shooting along with 5.7 rebounds in six full seasons with the Grizzlies before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in the 2012-2013 season.
He was part of the team during the burgeoning of their Grit and Grind era in the early 2010s along with Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Tony Allen. What’s missing in Gay’s Grizzlies tenure, however, is postseason success, as he played in just seven playoff games for the team.
But despite being traded just as they were putting together a string of memorable playoff runs, he remains one of the team’s best draft selections and gave fans someone to root for in the wake of Pau Gasol’s departure in 2008.
3. Ja Morant
In just 67 games, Morant is already making a case for being one of the Grizzlies' best all-time draft selections. After winning the second overall pick in the draft lottery, Memphis did not look back, selecting the sophomore out of Murray State in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The 21-year old Morant quickly proved why he was worthy of such a high pick, averaging 17.8 points on 48% shooting, 3.9 boards, and 7.3 assists in his first season and nearly leading the team to a playoff appearance. Just last week, he was named as the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, making him only the second Grizzlies player to win the award.
While there’s a lot to like about Morant’s current play, what is most exciting about the Grizzlies young guard (and worrying for the rest of the league) is that he still has room for improvement. He seemed to get better as the season went on, cutting down on his turnovers and emerging as one of the league’s assist leaders. In his final game of the season, a 35-point, four-rebound, 8-assist performance in the play-in game, might have been his best so far.
With an entire offseason to improve, it won’t be surprising to see Morant winning more awards as his young career continues.
2. Mike Conley
When the 2019 season began, it marked the first time that Mike Conley wasn’t in the team’s lineup since 2007. It was even jarring to see him in a Utah Jazz uniform, the team that acquired him in the offseason. That’s how long he’s been with the Grizzlies.
Conley, who was taken with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, has blossomed into one of the league’s best guards and one of the franchise’s best players in his dozen years wearing the Grizzlies’ blue and white uniforms. In his 12 seasons, he averaged 14.9 points on 44% shooting, three rebounds, and 5.9 assists.
More importantly, he was there for most of the team’s most memorable moments, serving as a steady court general for most of their playoff runs, including their run to the 2013 Western Conference Finals. Even after he’s left the team, his mark on the franchise remains, as he still leads the team all-time in games played, points, assists, and 3-pointers along with a host of other team records.
Randolph, Gasol, and Allen may all be crucial cogs during the team’s high points, but it was only Conley who began his career in Memphis, cementing his place as one of their best draft picks.
1. Pau Gasol
The team may have reached greater heights after his departure, but it was Gasol who was the team’s first star, arriving during a time when they were still struggling in their early years as a franchise.
Selected with the third overall pick during the 2001 NBA Draft, Gasol quickly made an impact for the team, averaging 17.6 points on 52% shooting along with 8.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his first year, on his way to being the first Grizzlies player to be named Rookie of the Year. And it was the only first that he achieved for the franchise, as he was also his first All Star, and led the team to its first winning season and first playoff appearance in 2004.
His departure to the LA Lakers at the trade deadline during the 2008 season may not sit well with some of the team’s fans, and other players on this list, such as Morant, may well end up surpassing his achievements.
But in his six plus years with Memphis, Gasol was able to achieve much, giving the team its first star and giving them much of their success during their early years in the league.
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