The NBA Draft is coming up on October 16, which means The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for each NBA team. Each day, a new team will be analyzed for their past season, their team needs and projected targets. Today, the Memphis Grizzlies will be evaluated.
The Memphis Grizzlies earned the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. They drafted a potentially franchise-changing guard in Ja Morant, who took the league by storm in his first year in the league.
Despite not being thought of as any kind of threat, the Grizzlies under new head coach Taylor Jenkins were one of the teams invited to the NBA bubble during its restart in July. They were one game away from the playoffs, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in a winner-take-all play-in game.
It was a new look for the Grizzlies who were trying out new pieces to see what they had. This included trading away franchise stalwart Mike Conley, which yielded Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver. They only have one pick in the 2020 draft, late in the second round.
The Memphis Grizzlies have one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft
Second Round: Pick No. 40
Defense- The Memphis Grizzlies gave up the 24th most points per game in 2020. Without mincing words, that needs to improve for the team to take the next step. Considering their excellent offense, even a slight defensive improvement could see their win total rise significantly.
Three-point shooting- At 35 percent on the year, the Grizzlies ranked 22nd in three-point shooting percentage. They also ranked 25th in points per game from three-pointers. In today’s NBA, teams need to have dead-eye shooters from distance to keep up. Memphis needs to draft one.
Projected Targets
Isaiah Joe is a great three-point threat that also moves well without the ball, both on offense and on defense. Although his percentage took a dip last season, his three-point attempts increased dramatically, so it was likely to happen.
Joe is a good defender and three-point shooter that the Grizzlies can draft with their late pick. (Photo by Thomas Metthe)
Defensively, he keeps up with his man off the ball. He needs to work on his steal numbers while his assignment is dribbling, but that part of his game is not crippling. The main concern here is how well they feel their only pick in the draft will fit with next-gen superstar Ja Morant. Joe would be a nice puzzle piece for him right away, which makes picking him very easy.
Featured image courtesy of Memphis Grizzlies
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