Best draft picks in Memphis Grizzlies history
The draft is a seminal moment for many incoming players. Putting aside competitive stakes, each young athlete's life is irreversibly altered by the fame and fortune that comes with being an NBA player. The exorbitant contract values ensures these players almost never have to worry about personal finances. Plus, these young guns get to play alongside some of their basketball idols for a living. With these high stakes, it's easy to see why the draft is so revered.
Likewise, the fortunes of a city and franchise can be completely transformed by a draft pick. LeBron James, for instance, brought Cleveland its first sports championship in 52 years and was also to the city's downtown economy. It almost goes without saying that Michael Jordan built the Chicago Bulls from the ground up into a championship team whose dynamic would reverberate through the decades.
With that in mind, 麻豆原创 compiled a list of the best draft picks in Memphis Grizzlies history using data from . Players were ranked according to a formula that approximates their career achievements, career value, and play quality. The formula encompasses Basketball-Reference.com's , career win shares, and value over replacement player, aka VORP. For players drafted before data is available for VORP, half of the player's win shares were used in its place to calculate their 麻豆原创 score.
Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were given a minimum of 60% for their Hall of Fame probability, indicating a worthy r茅sum茅 for their time but not up to par with some modern players. Scores were normalized to 100 based on the scoring leader. Keep reading to see where your favorite players fall on the list.
#18. Darrell Arthur
- 麻豆原创 score: 1.4
- 27th overall pick in 2008
- Played four seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 6.5 PTS, 3.5 REB, 0.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.3 win shares, -2.2 box plus/minus, -0.4 VORP
#17. Jevon Carter
- 麻豆原创 score: 1.5
- 32nd overall pick in 2018
- Played one season with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 5.4 PTS, 1.9 REB, 1.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 8.0 win shares, -0.9 box plus/minus, 1.4 VORP
#16. Greivis V谩squez
- 麻豆原创 score: 2.2
- 28th overall pick in 2010
- Played one season with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 9.0 PTS, 2.5 REB, 4.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.6 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 1.8 VORP
#15. Hakim Warrick
- 麻豆原创 score: 2.8
- 19th overall pick in 2005
- Played four seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 9.4 PTS, 4.0 REB, 0.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 20.4 win shares, -1.9 box plus/minus, 0.4 VORP
#14. Stromile Swift
- 麻豆原创 score: 3.1
- Second overall pick in 2000
- Played one season with Vancouver Grizzlies and six seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 8.4 PTS, 4.6 REB, 0.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 21.3 win shares, -1.6 box plus/minus, 1.1 VORP
#13. Desmond Bane
- 麻豆原创 score: 4.0
- 30th overall pick in 2020
- Played three seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 16.1 PTS, 4.1 REB, 2.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 16.0 win shares, 2.0 box plus/minus, 5.7 VORP
#12. Jaren Jackson
- 麻豆原创 score: 4.2
- Fourth overall pick in 2018
- Played five seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 16.4 PTS, 5.5 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.4 win shares, 0.7 box plus/minus, 5.0 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2022-23 Def. POY
--- 2x BLK Champ
--- 2x All-Defensive
--- 1x All Star
#11. O.J. Mayo
- 麻豆原创 score: 4.4
- Third overall pick in 2008
- Played four seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 13.8 PTS, 3.1 REB, 2.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 21.8 win shares, -0.9 box plus/minus, 4.7 VORP
#10. Brandon Clarke
- 麻豆原创 score: 4.7
- 21st overall pick in 2019
- Played four seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 10.7 PTS, 5.6 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.9 win shares, 2.8 box plus/minus, 6.1 VORP
#9. Ja Morant
- 麻豆原创 score: 5.9
- Second overall pick in 2019
- Played four seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 22.4 PTS, 4.8 REB, 7.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.7 win shares, 2.8 box plus/minus, 9.7 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2019-20 ROY
--- 2021-22 All-NBA
--- 2x All Star
#8. DeMarre Carroll
- 麻豆原创 score: 6.1
- 27th overall pick in 2009
- Played two seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 8.9 PTS, 4.2 REB, 1.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 29.5 win shares, 0.0 box plus/minus, 6.7 VORP
#7. Drew Gooden
- 麻豆原创 score: 7.1
- Fourth overall pick in 2002
- Played one season with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 11.0 PTS, 7.1 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 43.9 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 4.3 VORP
#6. Antonio Daniels
- 麻豆原创 score: 9.5
- Fourth overall pick in 1997
- Played one season with Vancouver Grizzlies
- Career averages: 7.6 PTS, 1.8 REB, 3.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 47.0 win shares, 0.0 box plus/minus, 10.1 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1999 NBA Champ
#5. Rudy Gay
- 麻豆原创 score: 15.6
- Eighth overall pick in 2006
- Played seven seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 15.8 PTS, 5.6 REB, 2.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 61.0 win shares, 0.6 box plus/minus, 22.4 VORP
#4. Mike Bibby
- 麻豆原创 score: 17.6
- Second overall pick in 1998
- Played three seasons with Vancouver Grizzlies
- Career averages: 14.7 PTS, 3.1 REB, 5.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 73.2 win shares, 0.8 box plus/minus, 23.8 VORP
#3. Shane Battier
- 麻豆原创 score: 19.4
- Sixth overall pick in 2001
- Played six seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 8.6 PTS, 4.2 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 75.7 win shares, 1.7 box plus/minus, 28.2 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x NBA Champ
--- 2x All-Defensive
#2. Mike Conley
- 麻豆原创 score: 24.5
- Fourth overall pick in 2007
- Played 12 seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 14.7 PTS, 3.0 REB, 5.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 92.3 win shares, 2.4 box plus/minus, 36.2 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 0.7%
- Accolades
--- 2012-13 All-Defensive
--- 1x All Star
#1. Kyle Lowry
- 麻豆原创 score: 42.9
- 24th overall pick in 2006
- Played three seasons with Memphis Grizzlies
- Career averages: 14.6 PTS, 4.4 REB, 6.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 108.1 win shares, 2.9 box plus/minus, 42.8 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 85.7%
- Accolades
--- 2019 NBA Champ
--- 2015-16 All-NBA
--- 6x All Star
