The Memphis Grizzlies Have a Bright Future
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Before I go out of town next week and take that time off from writing, I wanted to leave you all with one more piece that involves the NBA. It has been a big basketball week, but with the draft and trades, it was at the forefront of my mind. So, before I bid you all adieu for one short week, I want to talk about how the Grizzlies have reinvigorated my fandom.
It has been tough to be a Grizzlies fan the past couple seasons. They flamed out two years ago to the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and they were not very good and injury riddled all last season. Throw in all the off court stuff with Ja Morant, inexplicably trading Jaren Jackson Jr last year and letting Taylor Jenkins go before the playoffs two years ago. The Grizzlies have been a dumpster fire for about two years now, but this past week they have been making moves.
They started off the week with a bang on Tuesday night when they drafted Cam Boozer third overall. This is who I wanted them to take and they snagged him as soon as they realized he was going to be available. He is the type of player they can build around. He is a smart and savvy basketball player. He is going to average close to 20 points right away. He is a solid rebounder and passer already. His defense needs to improve, and I have no doubt that it will in due time. Memphis is going to love this kid, he will most likely love it there. He is NBA ready and looks like he may be the top rookie in this class. I fully believe he has the front position on winning rookie of the year next season. I'm so stoked about Boozer.
The Grizzlies traded down a bit in the first round, they originally had the 16th pick in round one as well, but they moved down to 21. Here they took Karim Lopez. This kid is tough. He has been playing professionally in New Zealand against dudes bigger and meaner than him and he thrived. He is a hard nosed rebounder. He doesn't take any garbage from anyone. He can get tough buckets. Bigger NBA players aren't going to intimidate him like they will other rookie players. And again, the city is going to love his toughness and his demeanor. He feels like a silent assassin. He looks young, but the guy is no joke. I feel like he can be this new roster's version of Steven Adams. He will only get bigger and stronger working with NBA trainers and I feel like he may be one of my favorite players in a very short time.
I'm even excited about the kid from BYU they took in round 2, Richie Saunders. I didn't know much about him until they drafted and then I went and checked out some clips of him on the internet. He was the second best player on that BYU team, behind AJ Dybansta obviously. But Saunders is not without his skill set. He can step out and shoot the ball. He tries very hard on defense. If he is open he will make shots. He has a toughness to him too.
That has me most stoked with this draft class, these three kids look like they have the mentality and bodies that are already set for the NBA. The Grizzlies got the most polished player in the draft in Boozer, they got one tough son of a gun in Lopez and they are taking a shot on a guy that can give them solid bench minutes in the long run. I love it. They were also able to acquire Isaiah Stewart from the Pistons for some second round picks. Again, they feel like they're going back to their roots of being tough and mean and physical and opponents will hate to play them. Stewart is one of my favorite players currently in the league. He doesn't back down from anyone. He is also a good rebounder and a surprisingly good shot blocker. He will also protect the young guys if they need it as well.
Peering out and taking a deeper look in this roster, they really only have one more thing to do to make this offseason an absolute home run for me, and that is finding a way to trade Ja Morant. I loved Morant, but he messed up and now he seems disengaged and wants out. I say let him go. Trade him to Sacramento or Brooklyn and try and get some picks. Hell, that may be all they can get for him at this point. But the time has come for both Morant and Memphis to move on.
The Grizzlies have a new franchise building block in Boozer. They have young guys to put around him in Cedric Coward and Zach Edey. Stewart is going to most likely start. Lopez will get extended minutes. I'm ready to watch GG Jackson fire the ball at the rim 20 times a night. They took a flyer on Walter Clayton Jr in the JJJ trade, so let's see if he can bring some of that college magic to the NBA. Santi Aldama can still stretch the floor a bit. They still have Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr under contract. Those guys have some kind of value. Hell, I'd even give Olivier-Maxence Prosper some extended minutes just to see what he has.
Look, the Grizzlies won't be very good this season, but they are trending in the right direction for me. I like what they accomplished this week. I'm excited to watch them again. I will be happy when they finally move Morant. This wasn't the case last season. But the moves this week have me pumped. I cannot wait to watch this team learn, grow and become good together. I'm happy to be a Grizzlies fan once again.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.