The 2023 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday, June 22, as both rounds are wrapped up in one night. As it approaches, TGH will be taking a quick look some teams’ draft strategies, and shedding some light on what direction they will go with their picks.. Here is the Memphis Grizzlies NBA Draft profile for 2023.
Memphis won their division for the second consecutive year with a record of 51-31. They were the Western Conference’s second seed, but ended up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games after a highly publicized and contentious first round series.
The Grizzlies have three picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
First Round (one pick):
Second Round (two picks):
Pick #25: Brandin Podziemski, G, Santa Clara
Podziemski has been flying up draft boards since the 2023 NBA Draft season began, and for good reason. He’s one of the best pure shooters in the draft, and someone that the Grizzlies could use right away to catapult their offense forward.
Last season at Santa Clara, he scored 19.9 points per game on 48.8 percent field goal shooting. He also scored the three-ball at a 43.8 percent clip while grabbing a massive 8.8 points per game. Obviously, he didn’t play against top-level talent, but the shooting stroke should should absolutely translate to the NBA. He could be a great microwave scoring option off of the bench for the Griz immediately.
Pick #45: Keyontae Johnson, F, Kansas State
Memphis only has one open roster spot as of now, so there’s a good chance one or both of these second round picks could be traded away for future picks or a player to compete for a roster spot. There are multiple reports that they’re trying to move up in this draft. But, this profile will operate under the assumption that they stay put.
Johnson would be a great pick here if they do stick where they are. He enters the draft as a pretty polished offensive wing. The defense isn’t there right now, but as a 6-foot-4 player with a 7-foot wingspan, it’s easy to see how he could become a defensive force if coached up right.
He’s a huge catch-and-shoot threat, scoring over 45 percent of those kinds of threes. He also uses his long frame to grab rebounds at an impressive clip (6.8 per game last year), and scores around the rim very effectively.
Pick #56: Mouhamed Gueye, C, Washington State
In a weak center draft, the Griz could find one very late in the second round. Gueye is a 6-foot-10 center with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, which obviously leads to a great offensive skillset around the rim and a tough rebounding presence.
Gueye is a polished offensive rebounder, specifically. Given that Memphis needs to generate offense, getting second chances off of misses is key. He’s not going to be a huge part of their offense, but could earn a backup or third center rule.
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