Comparing and contrasting the 2022 vs 2024 Grizzlies youth movement

Current Grizzlies forward and the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft, Jake LaRavia has had a decent start to the 2024-25 regular season in the absences of GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. The 6'8" forward has provided high-intensity hustle and defense as a reserve while averaging 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in six games.

Coming off one of his better games against the Bucks, where he had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, the team decided to decline his $5.16 million team option ahead of the deadline for next season. This will make him an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

LaRavia was one of the last remaining members of that mostly disappointing 2022 four-player draft class that only has one player currently on the team that is signed past this season (Vince Williams Jr.). General Manager Zach Kleiman made a calculated decision in 2022 to go with a youth movement after the Grizzlies' most successful season in the "Grz Nxt Gen" era (2019-present) and decided to follow the same path this season despite the mixed results from 2022.

The Comparisons

Coming off a successful 56-win and number two-seed season, the Grizzlies were feeling like a championship-contending team. They played the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in a competitive six-game second-round series and felt they only lost because Ja Morant missed the final three games of that series due to a knee injury.

With one of the deepest teams in the NBA at that time, the Grizzlies had decisions to make with Jaren Jackson Jr.'s contract extension kicking in, Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke's extensions to be signed coming up, and depth rotation pieces Kyle Anderson and Tyus Jones becoming free agents. Zach Kleiman decided to fully utilize the draft to implement some cheaper options with the first-round selections of forwards Jake LaRavia and David Roddy, and second-round selections of point guard Kennedy Chandler and wing Vince Williams Jr.

Those draft selections spelled the end for Kyle Anderson, who signed with Minnesota, and De'Anthony Melton, who they traded for David Roddy on draft night. It also prepared the team for the future loss of Tyus Jones, who resigned on a two-year deal but was traded the next offseason for Marcus Smart.

The Grizzlies' 2024 draft selections of Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, and Cam Spencer compared with their 2022 method because the team chose youth over veterans for needed positions. Edey was drafted to become the starting center immediately. Jaylen Wells signed a full-time contract with the Grizzlies as a second-round pick (like Kennedy Chandler), and Cam Spencer was the last pick signed as an additional shooter on a two-way contract (like Vince Williams Jr.).

The Contrasts

While the youth movements of the 2022 and 2024 Grizzlies' draft selections compare, the potential of this 2024 class has the potential to be much better than that of 2022. For one, collectively, the 2024 class had a better summer league output than the 2022 class as Edey, Wells, and Spencer all had impressive showings during the Grizzlies' run to the summer league championship game.

The 2022 class didn't show much summer league intrigue as the best rookie on that team was undrafted big man and eventual NBA G League Rookie of the Year, Kenny Lofton Jr. Also, there was a difference between their 2021 and 2023 draft picks, Ziaire Williams and GG Jackson, respectively. GG Jackson blended in, along with Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jake LaRavia, much better with the 2024 draft class than Ziaire Williams did with the 2022 draft class.

The Verdict

Zach Kleiman caught flack from the fanbase for his youth movement in the 2022 offseason for a team whose big contracts hadn't hurt their salary cap yet, and not utilizing those picks to make a move for a player that could put the team over the top. His 2024 selections have been much less criticized due to the early nature of time right now, the Grizzlies' salary cap situation (the NBA as a whole with the new hard cap rules), and the promise displayed during summer league and so far during the season.

Vince Williams Jr. was a surprise mainstay from the 2022 class and will be firmly in the rotation once he returns from injury and while Jake LaRavia has been disappointing overall as the first selection of that class, his improvement every year is something to be commended. No matter what the future holds for him, the Grizzlies have done well for themselves in their draft selections since 2022, and the two-way turned roster player pickups (Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff) this season.

The Grizzlies' 2024 youth movement has a different feel than the 2022 movement. Coming off an injury-riddled season vs a second-round playoff appearance helps that, but also the other roster pieces and potential displayed on the court in the 2024 draft pick's limited run provides optimism.