After some surprising maneuvering in round 1, the Grizzlies ended up selecting Karim Lopez 21st overall. Given that players such as Labaron Philon Jr. and Cameron Carr were available, selecting Lopez is certainly an enormous gamble by Zach Kleiman. Now, it remains to be seen how Lopez performs, but this is eerily similar to some project picks that Zach Kleiman has made in Memphis.
Having previously held the 16th pick, the Grizzlies traded back with the Oklahoma City Thunder to #17 while acquiring two second-round picks. It was already surprising to see Zach Kleiman trade back for the first time ever, but Kleiman even traded back again to #21 to get three more second-round picks. In total Kleiman acquired five second-round picks by moving back to #21.
It is also important to note that Zach Kleiman had Lopez on his radar for months and ended up getting one of the guys he desperately wanted in this class. Time will tell if it was right to pass up on more proven players at #21 overall in what should be a strong 2026 NBA Draft class.
Has Zach Kleiman tipped his hand?
— Bluff City Media Grizzlies (@bcmGrizzlies) March 5, 2026
A picture of ZK sitting baseline at a New Zealand Breakers game watching 19-year old Karim Lopez.
Who is Karim Lopez and should the Grizzlies really look to add him in the first round?@buckets_BCM and Wayne'O discuss.#nbadraft #karimlopez pic.twitter.com/8NNGnRYLcI
In all fairness, that is a great process by Zach Kleiman to get multiple assets and pick a player he would have likely selected at #16 anyways. However, given some of the downsides of Lopez, this has the makings of another boom or bust type of pick for the Grizzlies.
This pick resembles some previous Kleiman draft risks
Zach Kleiman has had some very strong draft hits in the last two seasons, having selected Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Cam Spencer, and Cedric Coward. Under Kleiman, the Grizzlies have had multiple development successes in players such as Santi Aldama and Desmond Bane. However, Kleiman has had his fair share of first-round misses that limited the potential of the Next Gen Era.
We can look back to the Ziaire Williams pick at #10 in the 2021 NBA Draft as a perceived upside pick that did not fully work out. Most famously, we can also point to the Grizzlies' first-round selections of Jake LaRavia and David Roddy in 2022. Obviously there are many factors to consider as to why their Memphis career went a certain way, but the Karim Lopez pick is shaping up to be another bold risk.
Kleiman has made a concentrated effort to boost the overall size and strength of the roster. While that can be an enormous advantage in the possession battle, picks such as Lopez carry risk. Similar to picks such as LaRavia and Roddy, Lopez has good overall strength and positional size but still carries fair athletic concerns.
Now that does not mean that Karim Lopez has the exact same playstyle as Jake LaRavia and David Roddy. But he will have to improve multiple key skills in order to justify the upside swing from Zach Kleiman.
Given how young Lopez is at 19 years old, he has plenty of time to develop into a reliable piece for the Grizzlies. He already is a solid off-ball player and makes good reads as a passer. However, his jumpshot is a crucial swing skill, and he will have to make significant strides on-ball to cover for any athletic concerns.
This is a pick that could end up being a defining success for Zach Kleiman. But this pick also resembles a few failed developmental swings that Kleiman has made in the first round in previous seasons. Having already selected Cam Boozer, the Karim Lopez pick can be a huge difference between a good 2026 class for the Grizzlies or a great one.
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