Despite the Grizzlies' struggles this season, there is one major positive. They are clear winners of what many considered to be a weak 2024 NBA Draft class.
Zach Edey has appeared in just 11 games this season, but the Grizzlies sent both 2024 second-round picks, Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells, to the Rising Stars Challenge. Cedric Coward also made it as a rookie but did not end up playing last night. However, the most important fact is that the Grizzlies found significant value in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Grizzlies had both 2024 second-rounders in the Rising Stars Challenge
Most of the players at this year's Rising Stars Challenge were previously selected in the first round of the last two drafts. While there were plenty of exceptions for G-League players, what really stood out was how few second-round picks were featured, especially from the 2024 class. Ajay Mitchell of the Oklahoma City Thunder was a second-round pick, but he was replaced by the 2024 #1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher.
Following Risacher replacing Mitchell, Cam Spencer was the only second-round pick on Team T-Mac, which featured standout rookie Kon Knueppel. Jaylen Wells competed on Team Vince, and he was also the only second-round pick on the team that featured multiple lottery picks from the last two drafts, such as VJ Edgecombe and Derik Queen.
Wells and Spencer got to play against each other
Before the championship game, Team Vince competed against Team T-Mac, and Team Vince won 41-36. However, in relation to the Grizzlies, both Wells and Spencer played well. Jaylen Wells had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist while also having a game-high plus-minus of +13. Spencer also had 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists despite the defeat.
Wells did not play as well in the championship game but added 4 points as Team Vince won over Team Melo 25-24. Most importantly, both players showed that they belonged at the Rising Stars Challenge. It is an impressive feat that the Grizzlies found two legitimate rotation pieces in a 2024 NBA Draft that was seen as weak on paper.
This does not even include the fact that Zach Edey was playing at a very high level before being shut down in December. The Grizzlies were a healthy Zach Edey away from having their entire 2024 NBA Draft class at the Rising Stars Challenge. While the Grizzlies are not in the best spot right now, it is clear that they struck gold in the 2024 NBA Draft and have multiple pieces to speed up a rebuild.