NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year

23. Memphis Grizzlies – David Roddy, Colorado State

The Memphis Grizzlies took two players in the 2022 NBA Draft, trading up to take Wake Forest’s Jake LaRavia and then sending De’Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers to select David Roddy out of Colorado State. A shorter, powerful forward with decent playmaking chops, Roddy was a popular prospect on “draft Twitter” and the Grizzlies have always seemed to line up the most of any front office with that subset of draft analysts.

That’s often paid off in a major way, from Desmond Bane to Brandon Clarke to John Konchar, but in this case the jury is still out. The plus side is that he carved out a rotation role on a playoff team, playing hard and defending his butt off. On the other hand, it’s hard to see what he will do well long-term in the NBA; he’s a poor shooter, too short to be an elite finisher, not fast enough to be a lockdown guy on the perimeter. He seems incredibly replaceable for the Grizzlies.

Roddy is a smart player, and perhaps he continues improving his game and provides enough intangibles to latch on long-term in Memphis or even for another team. For now, however, a number of other players seem like better bets at this pick a year later, from Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Christian Koloko in the frontcourt or Jaden Hardy and Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt.

Grade: C-