Memphis Grizzlies: 5 biggest draft mistakes of the last decade

TORONTO, ON - JANUARY 19: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball as Omari Casspi #18 of the Memphis Grizzlies defends during the second half of an NBA game at Scotiabank Arena of January 19, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

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4. 2018 Draft: Keita Bates-Diop

There’s a philosophy among NBA GM’s that says you should draft the best possible player instead of focusing on positional needs. While it didn’t affect the team too much, this draft is an example of this.

The 2018 draft ranks fairly low on the list for a couple of reasons. First off, the Grizzlies used the number four pick in the draft to select Jaren Jackson Jr., and that has obviously paid off today. The other reason this one ranks fairly low is because the player they could have got hasn’t shown to be a top-tier player yet.

Still, in the 2018 NBA draft the Grizzlies used the 32nd overall pick to select Jevon Carter. Soon after, with the 48th overall pick, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Keita Bates-Diop. One of the few draft picks that actually seemed would work out for them (right up until they booted him out the door), Bates-Diop has averaged 5.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game since he was drafted. Comparatively, Carter has averaged 4.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per game in the same time span.

You can’t be too hard on Memphis for this one, the pick made sense at the time. Memphis was more in need of backup point guard than they were a backup small forward, and they had a veteran guard in Mike Conley who they hoped could elevated Carter’s game.

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