The Grizzlies’ 2023 Draft: What do they need, and who can fill those roles?

Group F- Offensive Rebounding/Raw Strength Picks for Steven Adams Insurance

It’s tough to see a season rolling only for the good times to be halted by a three-month injury to a role player. A role player who’s massively important to the team and who still stands as one of the more beloved Grizzlies, but still a role player.

This draft is pretty weak at the center position, but Adama Sanogo could be a nice fit within the Grizzlies roster and has great value, projecting to land in the 40s-50s on Thursday. Really nice offensive player and has a lot of tools in his bag, ones he showed on a 2023 NCAA Championship run. Defensively, he’s rough as a rim defender, a middling on-ball defender, but a smart team defender with a strong and balanced base, which would do well in lineups with Jaren Jackson Jr. fending off drives.

Other options I like:

• James Nnaji- Explosive rim-running center who picked basketball late, which attributes to his palpable rawness. Could be a solid prospect for another team with a stronger foundation at Development and Development Services, but Nnaji is more than likely a swing that the Grizzlies won’t be able to afford this draft just in terms of the necessary development tools and time Nnaji might require.