Memphis Grizzlies: 15 best NBA Draft picks of all time
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Greivis Vasquez. player. 211. PG/SG. 2010 - Round: 1 / Pick: 28. 13
The Grizzlies selected Greivis Vasquez with the second of two first-round picks received from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the trade that sent Pau Gasol to Los Angeles. He led the Maryland Terrapins in scoring for three of his four college seasons. Vasquez took home ACC Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2010.
If this was a ranking of the 15 most confident (rationally or irrationally) players in franchise history, Vasquez would be the odds-on favorite. There was no such thing as a bad shot in his mind, especially as a rookie. Since irrational confidence is less of a factor than level of production, he’s at the other end of the top-15 list. But he’s on the list.
Greivis played just one season in Memphis, appearing in 70 games during the regular season and 13 in the playoffs. His 3.6 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game in Memphis were all well below his numbers at every other stop in his career.
His playing time was limited and sporadic for most of the season but he played big minutes and made meaningful contributions in relief of Mike Conley during both of the Grizzlies’ playoff series. Over the course of the season, he had six games in double figures. Two of them came during the playoffs.
The confidence I mentioned above translated into one of the most memorable and biggest plays of the season when he buried a three with under ten seconds on the clock to force double OT in a second round playoff game against the Thunder.
The Grizzlies sent Vasquez to the then New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Quincy Pondexter in 2011. While in New Orleans, he became a starter/solid rotation player, averaging 13.9 and 9.0 assists during his best season with the Hornets (before they became the Pelicans).