With the 2021 NBA Draft only being a few days away, let’s take a look at some mock drafts to see who the experts have the Memphis Grizzlies picking. Going into Thursday, Memphis has the 17th and 51st overall picks in the draft. There is always a chance for potential trades, but this post will assume that they stick at their current picks.
Here’s what each website’s expert predicted for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2021 NBA Draft
The Athletic:
17th Overall Pick: Trey Murphy
Murphy is a great shooter, a solid defender, and should be a nice role player. He is an ideal 3-and-D guy.
51st Pick: Kessler Edwards
Edwards is 6-8 with almost a 7-foot wingspan and shot just under 38% this year. He is a smart defender who is in the right position most of the time. Edwards needs to be able to drive it more effectively and shoot off of motion. He’s a smart basketball player who is another guy that would be a nice pick at 51.
CBS Sports:
17th Overall Pick: Trey Murphy
The Ringer:
17th Overall Pick: Corey Kispert
I linked another story I wrote but the Grizzlies should be ecstatic if Kispert falls to 17. He’s a super smart player who is the best shooter in the draft and would be able to help right away. Even though he needs to improve his footspeed defensively, he is a solid on-ball defender.
Sports Illustrated:
17th Overall Pick: Chris Duarte
I wrote about Duarte a little bit ago which you can read about here. Duarte is another strong 3-and-D prospect who could be a role player right away.
51st Overall Pick: Neemas Queta
He’s going to be a really good rim protector at the NBA level but isn’t very mobile. He will need to be effective out of the pick and roll as a diver but given his rim protection, he’d be a steal if Memphis could get him at 51.
Yahoo Sports:
17th Overall Pick: Jalen Johnson
Johnson was a top recruit out of High School who had an inconsistent season before opting out of college basketball in the middle of February. At 6-9, he has shown the ability to handle the ball and has shown some flashes on defense. But this is the second time he has left a team midseason in the last two years which is reason to take caution. He also needs to improve his shooting ability even though he shot 44.4 percent on limited attempts. He is a risky pick who could be boom or bust.
51st Overall Pick: Jericho Simms
Simms has shot up into the draft conversation recently. He is a great athlete and a strong defender. Right now, he can’t shoot but is a great lob threat and has a chance to stick in the league with his physicality.
Bleacher Report:
17th Overall Pick: Usman Garuba
Garuba who comes over from Real Madrid in Spain might be the best defender in the draft and has a chance to make an NBA all-defensive team. At 6-8, he has the ability to guard multiple positions and he has shown the ability to guard off-ball. As an undersized big he does a great job guarding the pick and roll and does a pretty good job fundamentally in terms of contesting shots. On offense is where he struggles. He’s probably too small to be a center at the next level and has shown very little shooting 11-40 from 3-point range in 38 games to go along with 4.0 points per game in EuroCup play in 16.5 minutes.
He’s a good enough defender to have an immediate impact right away and potentially make an All-Defensive team down the road. I’m really concerned about his offense, but since he’s such a good defender, he may be worth a middle first-round pick.
51st Overall Pick: Isaiah Livers
Livers needs to stay healthy and improve as a passer but is an interesting late-round pick because of his elite shooting ability from three.
ESPN
17th Overall Pick: Jalen Johnson
51st Overall Pick: Greg Brown
Brown is an athletic freak but is really raw. He’s a long-term project who needs to improve consistency skill-wise as well as his basketball IQ. He’s a guy that I totally would take in the 50s and could develop into an interesting player.