With the Memphis Grizzlies continuing their NBA Draft workouts they had a chance to bring in another group of players, headlined by Jeremiah Martin.
The Memphis Grizzlies are continuing their NBA Draft workouts with some really talented players. They brought in another group of six players on Thursday after doing the same on Wednesday. Once again these are six players expected to go undrafted or at the best late in the second round.
If the Grizzlies draft pick falls outside the top eight in the lottery they will be without a single pick on draft night after they traded away their 2019 and 2020 second round picks for Justin Holiday. These six players still could be playing in Memphis next season though as undrafted free agents.
Jalen Hudson
Jalen Hudson spent his first two seasons at Virginia Tech before spending his final two years at Florida. He had his ups and downs, but when he was at his best he was able to showcase his talents. After a dominant junior season in which he averaged 15.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on 46% shooting including 40% from three-point range he really had a rough senior season.
Coming into his senior year he had high expectations, but after they brought in two top 100 guards in their 2018 recruiting class his role was much less than he would’ve hoped. He averaged just 9.3 points and 2.9 rebounds on 36% shooting including 28% from three-point range. The lesser role isn’t a huge concern after the talent they brought in, but if he’s going to make it at the next level then he will need to get back to playing as he did during his junior season.
Vic Law
Vic Law is an exciting forward who has continued to develop his all-around game during his four seasons at Northwestern. Him being 23 years old isn’t very appealing as a guy who could get drafted, but he still has a chance to fight to make an NBA roster next season, most likely on a two-way contract. His ability to become a solid two-way player off the bench might be his best shot at becoming a successful NBA player.
He was a big-time player at Northwestern after being a top 100 recruit in the 2014 recruiting class. This past season he averaged 15 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game on 40% shooting including 34% from three-point range. His shooting percentages went down, but a lot of that has to do with more touches than he has been accustomed too. He’s never going to be a guy who lights up the stat sheet, probably not even in the G-League, but he has what it takes to find a role somewhere in professional basketball.
Kevin McClain
Kevin McClain was a role player during his first two seasons at Belmont, but in his final two years, he was an absolute stud as a key part of their success. The casual NBA fan might not know much about Belmont since they’re in a smaller conference, but they were good enough to still get into the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid after they lost to Ja Morant in Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game.
He had a good junior season, but his senior season is when he really took it to another level. He averaged 16.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 46% shooting including 37% from three-point range. His game still has some flaws, but he has more of a complete game than many of these undrafted prospects do. If he were to be signed by this organization then he might be the frontrunner to be the starting point guard for the Memphis Hustle.
Jordan Murphy
Jordan Murphy was a star forward during his four years at Minnesota and he is ready to begin his professional career. Being just 6’7″ and having a dominant inside scoring game with very little coming from outside is worrying, but he’s talented enough that he will get a shot to prove himself with some organization.
Even during his freshman season, he was a key player as he averaged 11.6 points and 8 rebounds per game and he has continued to improve since then. His best season was his junior season in which he averaged 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds on 53% shooting including 31% from three-point range. His senior season he was still dominant though as he averaged, 14.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, but he focused on more passing rather than getting his own shots which will benefit him at the next level. If he can continue to improve that, he can make it in the NBA.
Yoeli Childs
Yoeli Childs become a star during his time at BYU. He was a quality starter in his freshman season before becoming a dominant force the next two seasons. His ability to impact the game in many ways will give him a chance to have a long career at the next level. He was named to first team all-West Coast Conference this past season alongside star players such as Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura of Gonzaga.
The reason he was named to that team was that he was dominating his opponents as he averaged 21.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 51% from the field including 32% from three-point range. His increasing three-point percentage is something to watch throughout his development. He has the skills to make an impact in other ways, but if he can knock down those shots consistently then he could become a legitimate backup power forward on a really good team.
Jeremiah Martin
Now it’s the player that the Memphis fans are most excited about. They have watched Jeremiah Martin shine during the past couple of seasons at The University of Memphis. He had some struggles early on during his time there, but these past two seasons he was dominant and has helped them revive a very good basketball program under the guidance of their head coach, Penny Hardaway.
This past season Martin averaged 19.7 points, 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game on 45% shooting including 35% from three-point range. He also knocked down 76% of his 7.4 free throws per game which will benefit him in the pro game. He is a player who has the potential and talent to become a good player in the NBA, but no matter where he ends up he should have the skill to be a star in the G-League and hopefully, that is with the Memphis Hustle.
All six of these players are projected undrafted players so it may seem that they won’t have much value in the NBA, but there are draft steals every year and if the Grizzlies can get one or two of them, that will be huge for their rebuild. Some of the notable NBA players who have gone undrafted and had a lot of success include Udonis Haslem and Wesley Matthews as well as former Grizzlies forward JaMychal Green. Maybe none of these players will find a role in the NBA, but they will make a lot of money playing basketball somewhere.