Grizzlies: 3 prospects GM Zach Kleiman was right to pass on

The Memphis Grizzlies have more than enough 3-and-D players on their roster

Player No. 3: Corey Kispert

Again, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if the Memphis Grizzlies had drafted Corey Kispert, but the future of this team is much more exciting with another draft pick.

Kispert was arguably the best shooter in this year’s draft, knocking down 44% of his 3-point shots at a very high volume in college. Offensively, he was an extremely efficient player, scoring 18.6 points per game for Gonzaga. He was even a really good defender. So what’s the downside, you ask?

Physical limitations.

Unlike all of the other prospects the Grizzlies were looking at, Kispert is not a particularly athletic player. On defense, this got him into trouble at times, as he didn’t have the quickness to keep up with fast players. Generally speaking, slow feet gets young NBA players into trouble in a hurry.

Even though the Grizzlies’ eventual pickup in Williams didn’t have as refined of a defensive skillset as Kispert, he has the athleticism to get there. Williams is also three years younger and a much better playmaker than Kispert. One of the biggest weaknesses in Kispert’s game is the fact that he wasn’t a very good ball-handler and at age 22, that was unlikely to change.

Based on what we’ve seen out of Taylor Jenkins in Summer League action, the Grizzlies are trying to involve more players on the roster in the playmaking process. Kispert would have done nothing to help the Grizzlies’ cause.