Memphis Grizzlies: 2018 NBA Draft Lottery odds
The odds are in the Memphis Grizzlies’ favor in the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery, which takes place on May 15.
The Memphis Grizzlies are officially in rebuild mode as the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery approaches on Tuesday night. After going 22-60 in 2017-18, Memphis finds itself back near the top of the draft.
Memphis broke its streak of seven straight postseason appearances this past year and fired David Fizdale pretty early in the process. With J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm and Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to build around, now they’ll need to make the right decision in the draft.
Memphis has 19.9 percent odds of earning the No. 1 pick in the draft and a 55.8 percent chance of earning a pick in the top three spots. It’s safe to say the Grizzlies will have a top five pick in a very deep 2018 NBA Draft class, but they will need to choose wisely.
Here’s a breakdown of their odds for each pick:
- 1st: 19.9%
- 2nd: 18.8%
- 3rd: 17.1%
- 4th: 31.9%
- 5th: 12.4%
The Memphis Grizzlies’ draft history hasn’t been very memorable. The last lottery selection Memphis made was second overall pick Hasheem Thabeet in the 2009 NBA Draft. Thabeet lasted two seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
In the 2010 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies had three selections in the first round. They selected Xavier Henry at 12th overall, Dominique Jones at 25th overall and Greivis Vasquez at 28th overall.
Henry has been out of the NBA since the 2014-15 season. Jones played in just 80 NBA games across three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. Vasquez appeared in 70 games for the Grizzlies before being traded away for Quincy Pondexter.
More recently, the Grizzlies drafted Wade Baldwin IV with the 17th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Baldwin appeared in 33 games for the Grizzlies as a rookie before they waived him back in October 2017. Since then, he’s become a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
As a Grizzlies fan, it’s hard to look at the departure of Baldwin and have high expectations for the future. When it comes to the NBA Draft, the Grizzlies haven’t had the best of luck, but they’re looking to change all of that this year. There are plenty of options for them to choose from in this year’s pool, they’ll just need to look at best fit.
Conley and Gasol are two solid pieces to build around and there are weaknesses all around the roster. From Marvin Bagley III to DeAndre Ayton to Luka Doncic, there’s a hole to fill in Memphis’ rotation somewhere.
They will possibly be without their leading scorer Tyreke Evans, who should get a lucrative deal in free agency this offseason. Finding an instant scorer on offense will be high on their list of priorities, among other things.
On the bright side, guys like Dillon Brooks are still in the fold as well. Brooks had a solid rookie campaign for the Grizzlies, finishing with 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 82 appearances, including 74 starts.
Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft
Ultimately, what happens with the draft lottery is the first step in the process for the Grizzlies. The next step is doing all the proper evaluation and utilizing all the proper resources to make a solid selection on draft night.