We look back at some recent Memphis Grizzlies drafts, and decide whether Memphis made the right pick, or if their player came later in the draft.
The Memphis Grizzlies have been in a tough position with their last few drafts. With the exception of the two most recent ones, the Grizzlies have found themselves picking low in the first round. Now, this is because Memphis made the playoffs for seven straight seasons, between 2011 and 2017.
Now, this run of success meant that the Grizzlies were having good seasons, but it also meant that the draft pool was thinner for Memphis than for other teams.
Or at least, that’s the theory. In reality, there are dozens of late-first or even second round picks who turn into great players. The Grizzlies, coming off of continuous but ultimately fruitless playoff runs, always hoped to grab one of those players. But that begs the question, did they succeed? Or where there better players taken later in the draft?
Going through in reverse chronological order, so we deal with the most recent drafts first, I’ll be going through the last five first round picks that Memphis used, and then deciding if there was a better player later on in the draft.