Memphis Grizzlies: 5 reasons Jaren Jackson Jr. was a bad pick

1. Jackson is too young

As much as it looks like it, the Grizzlies are not in full rebuilding mode. At least, they shouldn’t be.

Gasol is 33 years old. Conley is 30. Chandler Parsons, if he’s still considered an important part of what the Grizzlies are trying to accomplish, is 29. This team’s top players are not young. Two of them are known to be injury-prone, and they’re under sizable contracts for multiple years.

Unless the Grizzlies plan to unload Gasol and Conley (and Conley in particular wouldn’t be easy), this is a franchise that should be trying to win sooner than later. With the No. 4 pick in a deep draft, you’d think Memphis would aim for a player who is more polished than the 18-year-old Jackson, looking for someone who could help more immediately.

Ironically, the player that Memphis grabbed with its second round choice  is exactly the kind of player they should have taken in the first round. West Virginia point guard Jevon Carter, the No. 32 pick, is experienced and battle-tested at 22 years old. He’s not a project. He can help the Grizzlies immediately.

Not to say the Grizzlies should have used a top-five pick on a second round talent, but if they wanted a big man, they could have taken someone a bit older with more polish, or even traded their pick for a young veteran big.

The Grizzlies landed a player in Jackson with a ton of potential, who appears to have the ideal skill-set for a big man in this era, an NBA pedigree and a desire to be in Memphis.

Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

There are some positives to picking Jaren Jackson Jr., but overall, his selection looks at best like an admission that the Grizzlies are headed for more losing before they really try to start winning again.