The 2025 NBA Draft is expected to be held by the Memphis Grizzlies with the sixteenth overall selection.
Let’s reminisce about the best NBA draft choices made by the Grizzlies. Included is their tenure as the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Due care was given to their selection order, therefore it is not always the ten best players listed in order. Team time is the only factor taken into account.
Soon enough, we’ll find out if a Grizzlies draft pick like GG Jackson II or Zach Edey is able to make it onto the list.
10 Best NBA Draft Picks In Memphis Grizzlies History
10. Vince Williams Jr. (47th overall, 2022)
Edey or Jackson II may have also gotten this place. Of the three, Vince Williams Jr. has been with the club the longest despite being draughted later than the other two.
He played in three games before the Grizzlies lost to the Thunder in the first round.
9. Sam Young (36th overall, 2009)
Sam Young was a better player than the team that draughted him, even if his time with Memphis was brief—just two seasons.
While the Grizzlies were within one victory away from the Western Conference Finals in 2010–11, he became an almost regular starter. On six separate occasions while playing for the Grizzlies, Young scored 20 points or more.
8. Jaylen Wells (39th overall, 2024)
Already on this list is Jaylen Wells, a rookie who started 74 games after being selected in the second round. At the age of 21, the young player was named to the All-Rookie First Team after finishing third as the Rookie of the Year.
On average, he scored 10.4 points and grabbed 3.4 boards.
7. Mike Bibby (2nd overall, 1998)
Mike Bibby finds himself a bit lower here due to only playing three years with the franchise, all with miserable teams. Still, he never missed a game for them and posted averages of 14.7 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.5 steals. Bibby had 46 double-doubles and one triple-double in his Grizzlies tenure.
6. Hakim Warrick (19th overall, 2005)
Mostly utilized a a reserve during his four seasons with the Grizzlies, Hakim Warrick proved to be a reliable bench scorer. He averaged over 11 points each year from 2006-07 until 2008-09. Warrick had two 31-point outings in a Memphis jersey.
5. Shane Battier (6th overall, 2001)
4. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (3rd overall, 1996)
In 1996–97, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who played with the Grizzlies for five seasons, was nominated for Rookie of the Year. Over the next four years, he would score over 20 points per game on average. Abdur-Rahim averaged a point and rebound per game in 1999–00.
3. Jaren Jackson Jr. (4th overall, 2018)
Through seven seasons with Memphis, Jaren Jackson Jr. led the league in blocks in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. In the latter season, the 25-year-old was also named Defensive Player of the Year. Jackson Jr. has taken on more of a role on offense as well, averaging over 22 points each of the last two years.
2. Ja Morant (2nd overall, 2019)
The 25-year-old Ja Morant has already established himself as one of the league’s most electrifying point guards.
Morant, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches, was selected as the league’s Most Improved Player in 2021–22, which was also his first year of consecutive All-Star selections. His career stats include 22.6 ppg, 4.7 rbs, and 7.4 asts over the past six seasons.
1. Mike Conley (4th overall, 2007)
Take a look at the Grizzlies all-time leaders, and you will see Mike Conley’s name at the top of numerous categories. That includes in games (788), points (11,733), assists (4,409), and steals (1,161). He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2012-13.
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