The Grizzlies have yet to work out any player that could be taken with their No. 4 overall pick, which leaves everyone blindly speculating who the pick could be.
Since the NBA Draft Lottery wrapped up, mock drafts have been all over the place with the Memphis Grizzlies’ pick this year. Marvin Bagley, Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., Mo Bamba, Trae Young, and Michael Porter Jr. have been the various picks by the blog boys and “draft experts.”
A breaking news tweet hit the twitterverse today that could either be smoke or be the first true insight to what the Front Office is thinking:
In today’s world of social media, so much of this kind of news is fake news being used as click bait. While “NBA Draft God” does not have a blue checkmark, the account is followed by some prestigious sports journalists, which would lead you to believe that there is some legitimacy to this account. Jordan Schultz of Yahoo! Sports and Jonathan Givony of ESPN Draft Express are two examples.
Should MPJ be #1 on the Memphis Grizzlies’ Draft Board?
Yes. I have been in favor of the marriage of the Grizzlies and Michael Porter Jr. from Day One. Even if the Grizzlies had landed the #1 overall pick, I would still be driving the MPJ-to-Memphis bus.
Pop Quiz: What is the one clear position of need the Memphis Grizzlies have had since the playoff run began?
Anyone who has any familiarity with the Memphis franchise know it’s a scoring wing.
Michael Porter Jr. is a wing prospect in the mold of Kevin Durant. He is a 6’10” wing that can score from anywhere on the floor. While he may never reach the unbelievable levels that Durant has, he could come close.
MPJ clearly has the highest ceiling of any player in this draft, if he stays healthy. That sounds a lot like Durant’s draft-mate and Mike Conley’s college teammate, Greg Oden. I do not believe that Porter will break down as easily and often as Oden did, but it certainly is a cause for concern.
The Grizzlies are at a point in their franchise timeline, with two aging core veterans, that they cannot afford to take a Jackson Jr. or Bamba and wait two or three years for them to develop. The window is closing in Memphis for a Marc Gasol- and Mike Conley-led team to make any type of noise in the playoffs.
Even beyond that, who is the face of the franchise once Gasol and Conley are gone? If it is Dillon Brooks, no offense to the stud rookie, then we will be spending too many years in the lottery. The Grizzlies could and should take the only player in this draft that can help the Grizzlies right away and become not only the future face of the franchise, but also one of the future faces of the NBA.
If Michael Porter Jr. is there at No. 4, and for some reason both Bagley and Doncic are as well, it is still a no-brainer. Take MPJ.
Should the Memphis Grizzlies Trade Up to No. 1?
Should and could are two different stories. The Grizzlies would be interested in doing this to jump ahead of Sacramento to take MPJ before they get the chance to. I still believe the Sacramento Kings need Bagley or Jackson Jr., but word is that they believe the MPJ hype like I do.
Even if the Grizzlies wanted to jump ahead of Sacramento, there are a few reasons why it will not happen.
First, the Phoenix Suns would have no desire to drop to the fourth pick and miss out on Ayton. If the Grizzlies jump to the No. 1 and take Porter Jr., the Kings will be more than happy to take Ayton at two. Throwing in Gasol to be their center to line up next to Booker, and taking Doncic at four may entice them, but I do not believe it is worth it.
Secondly, the Memphis Grizzlies really just do not have the assets to move up. Picks No. 4 and No. 32 are simply not enough for Phoenix to bite. Outside of draft picks, Memphis does not really have the players to send. Sure, Phoenix would almost certainly take Mike Conley, but what good does that do our own franchise?
The Front Office may actually be having internal conversations about trying to move up, but what front office isn’t? I would be very concerned if Memphis’ Front Office was not exploring every option possible to improve our franchise. Just because they are having the conversation does not mean it is possible or realistic.
The good news is this: we only have to wait 10 more days to find out who will be in Beale Street Blue next season.