The Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2022 NBA Draft armed with the No. 22, No. 29 picks in the first round, but by the time the dust settled, they ended up with a host of different picks.
Things got started in the middle of the first round when the Grizzlies sent picks No. 22 and No. 29 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the No. 19 overall pick.
Minutes later, General Manager Zach Kleiman sent De’Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for sharpshooter Danny Green and the No. 23 overall pick.
Who did the Memphis Grizzlies draft in the 2022 NBA Draft?
The Grizzlies acquired Jake LaRavia with the No. 19 pick, a junior out of Wake Forest. He made some headlines before the draft for having to clear up an inaccuracy about his age. Google had his age as 22, but he’s actually only 20.
LaRavia is 6’8″ and 235 lbs. He played for Indiana State from 2019-21 and transferred to Wake Forest for the 2021-22 season. In his Junior season, LaRavia put up some solid numbers, averaging 14.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG. He averaged 38.4% from three last season, 55.9 FG%
Jeremy Woo, of Sports Illustrated, had LaRavia at No. 23 in his final mock draft Here’s what he had to say about LaRavia.
"His passing and off-ball smarts are broadly useful strengths, and he should be able to supply passable minutes at either forward spot as a rookie. He endeared himself to teams over the course of the season with his competitiveness, efficient scoring and steady defense, building an analytics-friendly profile and gathering momentum as a potential first-rounder. LaRavia isn’t super explosive and isn’t going to create a ton of offense off the dribble, but he’s a smart passer and ball-mover who can accentuate talent around him."
The Grizzlies made a surprising move in trading De’Anthony Melton to Philadelphia. What was even more surprising was how the Grizzlies used the No. 23 pick they acquired in the trade.
Memphis selected David Roddy from Colorado State, a 6’5″ and 252 lbs forward. He’s nimble for a bigger guy and an efficient scorer. He was a 43.7% shooter from three last season as a junior.
Rob Goldberg, of Bleacher Report, called Roddy a second-round talent in his scouting report.
"Picturing a 6’5″, 260-pound wing or small-ball 4 isn’t easy. But with Roddy’s strength, mobility, scoring versatility and efficiency (62.0 percent on twos, 43.8 percent on threes last season), a second-round team will gamble on his outlier potential."
Reaching for Roddy in the first round was a head-scratching choice, but one I’m sure the front office thought long and hard about.
This front office has afforded themselves a bit of room to operate from a fan perspective because they’ve been so good at drafting in the Zach Kleiman era.
Now, all eyes are on how the Grizzlies will handle free agency. Will they be able to keep Tyus Jones and Kyle Anderson? A lot of moves lay ahead for this squad.
But, for now, we’ve got two first-round picks headed to Memphis and eager to get to work. You could see LaRavia being a potential replacement for Kyle Anderson and/or Dillon Brooks if he turns out to be the kind of player we think he can be.
As for Roddy, he’s more of a mystery man. Will his talent and skillset translate from the Mountain West Conference to the NBA?
We’ll be able to get a snapshot of how these guys compete at the NBA level soon. You should expect both of these players to suit up for the Memphis Grizzlies in the upcoming Summer League slate of games when things kick off in July.