The Memphis Grizzlies have finalized their summer league roster. Who are the familiar faces?
The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the four teams participating in the NBA’s Utah Summer League. They needed to have their team finalized and ready to go before most teams, who will not be participating until the Vegas Summer League arrives in mid-July.
Here is the Memphis Grizzlies’ Utah Summer League roster:
The #Grizzlies have released their full roster for the 2018 Summer League Mini-Camp on Thursday. Memphis will play three games in the 2018 Utah Jazz Summer League from July 2-5 before headed to Las Vegas for the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 on July 6. pic.twitter.com/PeDyCslQ5V
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) June 26, 2018
This is a really good group of guys for the Grizzlies to have. It’s also worth noting that D.J. Stephens is not on this list because he will not be participating in the Utah Summer League. He has confirmed to Beale Street Bears that he will be with the team in Vegas.
There are a couple of names really stand out on that list to me. Memphis has some really good young talent as well as some ex-college stars trying to give the league another shot.
Headliners
The obvious headliners on this roster are Wayne Selden and Jaren Jackson. Selden was amazing last summer as he led the team to a very successful Las Vegas Summer League. He needs to put up a similar performance this summer to impress the team if he wants to stay with them.
Jaren Jackson is the high draft pick everyone’s excited to see. Some Grizzlies fans were not happy with the pick, so it would be nice for their sake if they could see him play well.
Jevon Carter is being included as a headliner in my book. He seems to have already become a fan favorite and he has not even played a game yet. He is a tough player who fits great in Memphis. It is going to be exciting to see him lock down other young guards during the summer league.
Older College Stars
Dee Bost and Christian Watford are two interesting players to watch this summer. They are older players who were studs in college. Bost was a four-year starter at Mississippi State where he averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 assists per game over his four seasons. Bost has played for a couple summer league teams in the past as well as actually being signed to an NBA roster, though he has not actually played an NBA game yet.
Christian Watford was also a four-year starter at Indiana where he averaged 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He has played for a handful of teams in past summer leagues and has spent the past few years playing in the G-League.
Undrafted Rookies To Watch
There are a lot of undrafted rookies on this roster that are very exciting to watch. Guys like E.C Matthews and William Lee both had big moments in NCAA Tournaments to lead their teams to upsets. Brandon Goodwin out of Florida Gulf Coast is an interesting guy to watch. He was Atlantic Sun Player of the Year and has a lot of talent. He could sneak his way onto the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster.
Guys like Terry Larrier and Matthew Butler are going to be coming in under the radar; here, that does not matter. They are going to have the same shot as everybody else, and if they perform well, they could earn a roster spot the same way everyone else can. The Grizzlies are hungry for young talent that can shoot.