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Memphis Grizzlies’ NBA Draft Profile: Robert Upshaw

By Christian Dudley

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Jan 15, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies center Robert Upshaw (24) rebounds against Oregon State Beavers forward Jamal Reid (32) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Big man NBA hopeful Robert Upshaw is an intriguing prospect that the Memphis Grizzlies will give an extra hard look for the 25th overall pick.

Robert Upshaw spent his college basketball days at the University of Washington; however, he did not finish the season with the Huskies. He was dismissed from the program–marking the second time he has been dismissed from a university’s college basketball team.

Drug use and immaturity? Really?? Though sad, Upshaw looks to have tremendous upside on the basketball court if he can keep his head on straight. For an NBA team to draft the youngster, they will need to surround him with great veterans that can be a positive influence on him as he makes the jump to the professional ranks.

Jan 2, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; Washington Huskies center Robert Upshaw (24) takes a shot over California Golden Bears center Kingsley Okoroh (22) during the second half of the game at Haas Pavilion. The California Golden Bears defeated the Washington Huskies 81-75. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

You may have seen by now that some mock drafts across the Internet have the Memphis Grizzlies selecting Robert Upshaw with the 25th overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft. With free-agency looming, in which the Grizzlies could lose one–if not two–important centers, so they will absolutely need to be searching for at least one solid big man this offseason via the Draft and/or free-agency. Upshaw fits the criteria.

Coming off the bench in college (two seasons), Upshaw nearly recorded a double-double average by posting numbers of 10.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks on 59.3% shooting from the field. Yes, all of this as a reserve. This makes you wonder what he could do in a larger role on a team–especially in the longer NBA game flow. Also worth mentioning is that Robert is a 6’11” center weighing in at 255 pounds.

He has the NBA frame for a frontcourt player, but what about those red flags?

The latest red flag for the potential draftee arose a few days ago. Here is the report from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:

"An issue with Robert Upshaw‘s heart was identified by doctors at the NBA Combine in Chicago last month, which has forced him to suspend training and postpone all workouts with NBA teams. At this point, no long term conclusions have been reached, and further blood testing has been requested by NBA doctors to pinpoint the exact nature of his medical condition.We reached out to Upshaw’s agent, Bill Duffy, for comment.“Robert and his family have been fully aware of his medical history. Twice previously this was addressed by highly respected University Cardiologists and Robert was subsequently cleared for all basketball activities. The NBA Combine Doctors are now waiting for the results of a final test, which will be known in a week’s time. For good reason, we take this very seriously and support the physicians doing their due diligence. Based on the outcome of previous evaluations, we expect his full clearance. Robert’s health comes first and the progress he was making prior to this break in activity was exceptional. We are confident once his training is resumed he’ll continue to be in a really good position going forward.”Editor’s note: We will keep you posted further on Upshaw’s condition as we learn more about it. For now, we have elected to hold off on making any changes in Upshaw’s evaluation or ranking as a NBA prospect until more precise info is revealed. Should Upshaw not get medically cleared to work out for NBA teams in the near future, this will undoubtedly affect his draft stock."

Will the Memphis Grizzlies dismiss the health-related and immaturity-related red flags and therefore take a flyer on Robert Upshaw in the first round at pick No. 25? The Grizzlies could certainly use his services to bolster their bench for the 2015-16 season and beyond.

Jan 22, 2015; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Wesley Gordon (1) and Washington Huskies center Robert Upshaw (24) battle for a tipoff in the first half at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Regardless of any off-court issues, his heart health would be concerning for all NBA teams. Even if he is cleared, some teams could still remain leery. Right now, expect Upshaw to have a very wide range of where he could land in the NBA Draft–in my opinion, anywhere from early 20s to very late 50s. There is plenty of talent–raw, undeveloped talent–throughout this draft class and we could all very well see a lot of intriguing prospects slip and slide down–and out–of the Draft.

We will find out for sure on June 25th during the 2015 NBA Draft–to be televised on ESPN.

Stay with Beale Street Bears for all Memphis Grizzlies-related news, opinions, and other info throughout the offseason!

Go Grizz!

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