MEMPHIS – The Grizzlies do some of their best work in the second round.
At some point in the near future, that statement should be in reference to Memphis reaching its potential in the second round of the NBA Playoffs and moving on to the conference finals.
But with the Grizzlies serving as spectators while the conference semifinal round of the playoffs close out this week, the focus is on maximizing their assets for the second round of the draft.
With the NBA Lottery having set the official order for next month’s NBA Draft, a Memphis contingent of executives, coaches and scouts continue their work in Chicago this week to evaluate prospects at the annual NBA Combine.
If the draft provides an initial pathway for roster improvement, the Grizzlies will again be dealing from the back end of the deck in hopes of making another breakthrough. While Southwest Division rivals Dallas and San Antonio jumped up in the lottery to land the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively, there was really no intrigue in those results for the Grizzlies.
By advancing to the NBA Playoffs and losing in four games to Oklahoma City in the first round, Memphis was not among the 14 teams to miss the postseason and land in the lottery. The Grizzlies also traded their first-round pick in this year’s draft back in a February deal to send veteran guard Marcus Smart to the Washington Wizards.
Memphis however owns two second-round picks in next month’s draft, positioned with picks No. 48 and No. 56 on the second day of the two-day draft that starts June 25th in New York.
Few teams have been more productive in the second round of the draft in recent years than the Grizzlies. Since 2022, Memphis has used second-round picks on current roster holdovers in Vince Williams Jr., GG Jackson, Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer.
Wells, picked No. 39 last year, started 74 games for the Grizzlies at small forward and finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting earlier this month. Williams and Jackson were both promoted from Two-Way developmental deals to standard NBA contracts last season. Spencer, picked No. 53 last year, will be a strong candidate for a similar roster upgrade next season.
Although the Grizzlies enter the summer facing questions about the chemistry and continuity of top talents in Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, team president and general manager Zach Kleiman is encouraged by the development of the back end of the roster.
During last month’s season-ending exit interviews, Kleiman specifically mentioned the progress made by Wells and Spencer as “dogs” and ideal fits as role players in support of a marquee core.
“The work on the margins . . . we didn’t do any of this with the expectation that some of the guys would come in and take on the roles that they have this quickly,” Kleiman said of promising players that also includes undrafted second-year point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. “But when you look at the guys we actually brought into the organization – there’s more work to be done. But it’s been clear the type of guys that are going to help us get to the next level. They’re young. That wasn’t what we set out to do. We’re going to keep building through that lens.”
The Grizzlies also have other avenues to improve the roster coming off a season in which they climbed as high as second in the West standings and won 48 games before struggling down the stretch. Memphis parted with coach Taylor Jenkins in late March and elevated top assistant Tuomas Iisalo to the full-time job after he served as interim to finish out the season.
The work for Memphis now shifts to roster evaluation and scouting to fill voids through the draft, offseason trades and the July free-agency signing period. The Grizzlies have made trades during or around the draft in each of the past six seasons Kleiman has run basketball operations.
Kleiman has alluded to the fact that the Grizzlies aren’t intentionally trying to build through youth or the draft at this stage. The preference would be to supplement the core of Morant, Jackson and Bane, a group that has just one playoff series victory in five seasons together.
Yet even if the Grizzlies don’t make a major move in the draft, they have a history of selecting, acquiring or developing gems from the second round. That list has included Jevon Carter and Dillon Brooks, who established their reputations in Memphis before moving on to other teams.
There have also been notable players taken in the two spots Memphis currently holds in June.
Arguably the most accomplished player in Grizzlies’ franchise history was selected with the No. 48 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft and traded to Memphis: Marc Gasol. And the No. 56 pick in past drafts have included guard Ramon Sessions and center Amir Johnson, who each played more than 10 years in the league as starters or solid reserves for several teams.
That’s the kind of contributor Williams hopes to get back to being for the Grizzlies. Two separate but significant injuries – leg stress reaction and severe ankle sprain – were setbacks this season for Williams coming off a breakout season in 2023-24.
He now expects a healthy offseason to help him rekindle the hunger and production that once propelled Williams from a 2022 second-round pick to a primary NBA rotation piece.
There’s a specific formula for second-round picks fighting for fleeting NBA roles.
“Stick with my teammates, talk to them every day and maintain a positive mindset,” Williams assured. “I’m just trying to get better and figure everything out. Keep my energy upbeat. Figure out how to do what I did last year. But at the same time, realize what I can and cannot do.”
There are no guarantees with second-round picks in the NBA. It’s not easy for many to find their way. But some surefire prospects will emerge at this week’s Combine in Chicago.
Count on Memphis to identify more for its development pipeline.
In a make-or-miss league, the Grizzlies have a history of hitting on second-round picks.