Memphis Grizzlies: Grading every draft pick currently on the roster

The Memphis Grizzlies have done a great job developing a team through a range of different mediums. They’ve made some strong trades, grabbed a couple of free agents, but most importantly, they’ve had a bushel of success in the NBA Draft.

And so far, this success has translated to results on the court. While many NBA teams are stuck with a losing record for an extended period of time during a rebuild, Memphis is already back in the NBA Playoff discussion.

They’ve done this on the back of a couple of star picks, but the way that this front office has developed depth should not be minimized. While you’ll primarily think of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. as this team’s biggest draft picks, that’s only the start of what they’re building on Beale Street.

The Memphis Grizzlies are amidst an accelerated rebuild

The Grizzlies are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild. In fact, after trading away Mike Conley, the general consensus was that the Grizzlies would be a bad team for the foreseeable future. It wasn’t an unrealistic thing to believe, as most teams are in the gutter for years following the departure of a key franchise player.

But the Grizzlies have persevered beyond that. Because of strong draft picks, they’re already considered a dangerous team. And while Taylor Jenkins has done a great job as head coach, the success in Memphis can be attributed to very specific draft picks.

For the sake of this article, I will also be considering players who were drafted by other teams and traded immediately to Memphis.

Here are each of the Grizzlies’ six draft picks who are currently on the roster, graded ranked.