2022 NBA Draft Grades for all 15 teams in the Western Conference

2022 NBA Draft Grades for the Western Conference: Memphis Grizzlies

Picks: Jake LaRavia, Forward, Wake Forest (19); David Roddy, Forward, Colorado State (23); Kennedy Chandler, Guard, Tennessee (38)

The Memphis Grizzlies have a deep team, and after making multiple first-round picks in a few different recent drafts, they didn’t need to use both of their first-round picks this year.

So what did the Grizzlies do? They consolidated those two picks to move up to 19… and then traded back in almost immediately, sending De’Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers for Danny Green and pick No. 23, giving them another two first-round rookies.

All three picks were invested into the frontcourt. At 19, the Grizzlies added Jake LaRavia, which was a peculiar fit. On the one hand, LaRavia seems ready-made to replace Kyle Anderson’s role on the roster as a solid forward who can shoot and defend, but he’s certainly not the sort of high-upside play that many expected the Grizzlies to make.

Pick No. 23 was the true wild-card, however. The Grizzlies traded Melton for the pick, which was fine value for Melton, but then used it on a player in David Roddy who wasn’t expected to go in the first round. An overweight and yet undersized power forward, Roddy has a lot of skills wrapped in a frame that is either filled with potential or dooming him to fail.

Kennedy Chandler fell down the board to 38 because of his size, but he is an absolute pest on the ball and adroit at generating steals. On offense, he is lightning-fast with a tight handle; his shot is streaky, but not broken. If the team is looking for a backup point guard to replace Tyus Jones, Chandler could be that player early on.

Grade: B-