NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball goes first in 2020 NBA Redraft

The Memphis Grizzlies came out of the 2020 NBA Draft with players taken 30th and 35th, and both end up going in the first 22 picks of our redraft. At 22 the Utah Jazz get a much better return on investment for a backup center, taking Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman instead of Udoka Azubuike this time around.

For a team with multiple frontcourt injuries over the course of the season, Tillman got plenty of run early on to show he was an NBA-caliber big man. He did that and more, stepping in as a positive defensive big from the jump. He averaged 1.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per-36 minutes, and he provided very solid rim protection for the Grizzlies’ back line.

Even with the full frontcourt healthy in the playoffs he earned consistent minutes, even playing a key role taking down the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament.

If the Jazz had taken Tillman instead of Azubuike in November, they could now offload Derrick Favors to save money and depend on Tillman to back up Rudy Gobert. He isn’t going to grow into Joel Embiid, but he has proven to be a solid player within his role, and teams trying to win can use that in the latter third of the first round.