Memphis Grizzlies: 15 best NBA Draft picks of all time
8. player. Scouting Report. C. 1995 - Round: 1 / Pick: 6. Pick Analysis. Bryant Reeves. 211
Future hall of famer or someone whose career lasted half an NBA season, the sixth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft was unequivocally solidified as a key figure in franchise history as soon as his name was read.
The first pick in franchise history was Bryant “Big Country” Reeves. It has nothing to do with his place on this list, but the appropriateness of Reeves being picked is just incredible. He was like no other player in NBA history, not in a good way, but not entirely in a bad way either.
His game wasn’t pretty but it was effective. His career wasn’t overly impressive but at its peak from 1996 to 1998, Reeves vastly overachieved to average 16 points and eight rebounds a game. It wouldn’t last and wouldn’t coincide with any kind of team success so it’s hard to really sum up Reeves.
He wasn’t a big success, but you can’t really take anything away from him.
Reeves isn’t just the franchise’s first overall pick, he’s also essentially the Grizzlies’ spirit animal. Effort and force of will allowed him to vastly overachieve at times, but his career was short and his peak was even shorter. Not what you’re hoping for, you kind of have to love him though.
The fact that he never played in Memphis and no Memphis fan today ever really saw him play gives him a little bit of a mythical quality as well. Not like a god or unicorn, but maybe a more average version of Paul Bunyan? So I guess a well-known lumberjack? Since retiring from basketball, Reeves has lived on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, so that totally makes sense.