3 major mistakes made by Grizzlies during 2024 NBA Draft

Grizzlies mistake No. 2) Settling to address positional needs

On paper, Zach Edey is a player that checks quite a number of boxes for this Grizzlies team.

Measuring in at 7-foot-4, 300-pounds, the 22-year-old is a behemoth of a big man who will help address the team's need for a new center to pair alongside star four Jaren Jackson Jr. down in the frontcourt.

On top of this, his rim-protecting and board-gobbling skills could be a nice addition to this club as they will once again look to compete for a top-eight seed in the Western Conference next season.

However, as suggested earlier, the problem with a guy like Edey is that he projects more as a solid role player rather than a potential star at the next level, and, when selecting within the top 10, shooting for the stars is likely what the majority of teams are aiming to do.

Still available at the time Memphis was on the clock were several high-upside players, many of whom could slot in at multiple positions that, while not as depleted as their center spot, are still in need of some re-tooling.

From Colorado 3-and-D wing Cody Williams, who went directly after Edey at No. 10, to Tennessee's sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, who was taken at No. 17 and was even deemed by some as the "perfect" fit for the Grizzlies, there were many players who have much higher upside that were ripe for the taking at ninth overall.

Though they may have somewhat softened the blow of missing out on these aforementioned talents as the draft progressed, particularly with their selection of Washington State's sharpshooter Jaylen Wells at 39 overall during round two, settling on simply addressing a positional need rather than going for top-tier potential at the NBA level may have been a grave mistake.