Grizzlies: 3 questions about 2021 first-round pick Ziaire Williams

The Memphis Grizzlies shocked their entire fanbase when they made the bold decision of drafting Ziaire Williams, a 6-8 wing out of Stanford. Memphis was expecting a pick like Moses Moody or James Bouknight, but as has happened in the past couple of drafts, confusion swept over Memphis.

At the forefront of everybody’s mind, there are a few questions at hand. Today, I’m going to try and answer the most obvious ones, starting with an easy question.

Did the Memphis Grizzlies reach when they selected Ziaire Williams with the 17th-overall pick?

The short answer here is no. While it may seem easy to declare this a reach, there is a lot going on behind the scenes that Grizzlies fans don’t see.

For starters, Josh Giddey, a potential Grizzlies draft pick, was taken far earlier than anybody expected to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 6. This didn’t just impact Memphis, it likely had a ripple effect through every wing prospect in the draft. This would have sent every other wing up in the draft.

Memphis, on the other hand, would not have traded up if Williams would have been available at No. 17. Franchises know, or at least have a strong idea, of what is going to happen on draft day. The Grizzlies wanted Ziaire Williams and the only way to get him was to move up to the 10th-overall pick.

They would not have moved up in the draft if they weren’t sure that he was going to be selected before their initial pick. If anything, Grizz fans should feel confident that their upper management picked a guy with such confidence.