Memphis Grizzlies: The Effects of a busy Draft night

After coming in with nothing, the Memphis Grizzlies finished the night with two solid picks. However, a busy draft night could spell doom for Memphis.

I want to start out by saying that the Memphis Grizzlies had a productive draft night. They found two value picks in the second round and didn’t pass up the opportunity to trade for them. At the 35th pick, Ivan Rabb was a lottery talent that slipped after staying in school an extra year. However, he has the chance to be a role player at the next level and an eventual JaMychal Green replacement. Dillon Brooks has the versatility and shooting ability to find a niche in the league, but his intangibles are more intriguing. In his three-year career at Oregon, he transformed them into a legitimate basketball school. Hopefully, all that can translate into him becoming another Jae Crowder or Malcolm Brogdon.

Now, let’s talk about the other teams and how their decisions will affect the Memphis Grizzlies. Did any teams make any legitimate moves to overtake the Grizzlies for a playoff spot?

The Draft

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off draft night for the Western Conference by selecting UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball. While many associate him with his father whose antics rival the greatest of WWE heels, Lonzo can flat play. His court vision is absurd, his unorthodox jump-shot goes in at a high rate, and he makes others better. A young core of Ball-Ingram-Clarkson-Randle along with veteran Brook Lopez could be a sneaky team next year and an eventual playoff team by 2019.

The Sacramento Kings surprisingly had a great draft, selecting four players that could be major factors on this team. De’Aaron Fox has the competitive fire and skill-set to be a special player in the league and could very well become the best point guard out of this loaded class. Justin Jackson and Frank Mason are proven winners looking to cast the losing culture out of Sacramento. Then, with the 20th pick, they selected Harry Giles, an injury-riddled player who could become the biggest steal of the draft. They may not be a playoff team next year, but this team is heading in the right direction.

Then, the Phoenix Suns now have both Devin Booker and Josh Jackson on the wings. Jackson is the perfect piece on this team as they need a versatile two-way wing who could become a true leader on this team. A starting 5 of Bledsoe-Booker-Jackson-Chriss-Len has the potential to shock some teams next year.

The Big “Ruh-Roh”

The move that sent waves through the NBA wasn’t a draft pick; it was a blockbuster trade.

Jimmy Butler finally departed the Windy City and reunited with former coach Tom Thibodeaou. Now, Minnesota employs a scary quartet of Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio. Even though we don’t know how it’ll work, they’ll be a playoff-caliber team.