Memphis Grizzlies: Darius Garland Could Replace Mike Conley As The Point Guard Of The Future
By Chris Kern
Mock Drafts
You can never take to much from just a few college games but it was very impressive in some big wins for his team. When you take into account how much they’ve struggled without him that just shows how big of an impact he made in a short period of time.
Despite his injury, Garland has remained high in Mock drafts and a recent mock from Fansided they actually had him projected to the Grizzlies with the 6th pick. It’s hard to project how much prospects will fall due to injury though, just think about the Michael Porter Jr. situation.
He was projected in the top three or top five in the majority of mock drafts leading up to draft night. Then when the time came many teams passed up on him and he would end up being selected outside the lottery to the Denver Nuggets with the 15th pick.
I’m not predicting that type of fall for Garland but it is a scenario that is possible and I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if he did experience that type of fall. Many other sites do have him falling further in their mock drafts but the Grizzlies make a lot of sense as a good fit for him so expect these rumors to continue to heat up.
One of the issues surrounding his game is his ability on the defensive end. He has a smaller frame compared to some current NBA point guards so he likely will struggle in that area early on. It’s an area he can improve in as he gets stronger though but his superstar potential on both ends of the floor may be limited just a little bit due to him not being an explosive athlete who can play above the rim.
The defensive concerns do worry people but in today’s game, it’s becoming evident that you need a top point guard to compete. Despite his knee injury and any other concerns surrounding his game he is still likely the 2nd top point guard in this class behind Ja Morant. Unless some of the other guard prospects shine over the next couple of months, expect Garland to be selected in the top 10 of June’s NBA Draft.