Memphis Grizzlies 2025 NBA Draft Preview, Predictions
What could the Memphis Grizzlies do in the two-day draft event? Looking at possible targets, what the mocks are saying, trade ideas, and predictions
The NBA draft is in 24 hours. Not sure many of us anticipated having to lock in to a significant degree with the Memphis Grizzlies until last week’s trade.
The Grizzlies had traded away their first-round pick to the Washington Wizards when dealing Marcus Smart. They closed the season with the 48th and 56th pick. However, they acquired the 16th pick — among three more first-round picks and a swap — in the Desmond Bane trade last week.
If you need to have a cram session, then you can view my draft guide below.
What should the Memphis Grizzlies do on draft night?
What do the Grizzlies need?
Obviously, you don’t want to draft for need. You should always draft for the best player available. However, teams aren’t operating off the ticker at the bottom that says “best available” during the draft coverage. They have their own boards based on their philosophies. At the same time, while drafting best talent available is the move, “need” is a small dynamic in that, because you want to provide a pathway for talent to develop and produce within his four-year rookie contract.
With that said, these are the skills and archetypes the Grizzlies need to identify in the draft.
Perimeter defense: The great teams have multiple guys to throw at an opposing team’s best player in this day and age. People may not want to throw a rookie in the fire, although Jaylen Wells excelled in this role. The Grizzlies need to continue to build role depth here. The trio of Wells, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Scotty Pippen Jr. is a solid start, but they should continue stacking good perimeter defenders. It’s critical to have guys that can keep their assignment in front of them, keep the shell intact, and create defensive events.
Physicality. This playoffs showed us that the level of physicality levels up in the spring. During exit interviews, Zach Kleiman and Tuomas Iisalo both said they have to identify players that fit the city’s DNA and are dawgs. This trait is a key cog in this player evaluation.
Shooting. The Grizzlies lost Desmond Bane, will likely lose Luke Kennard, and have Santi Aldama’s restricted free agency. That’s a lot of shooting to make up for. The Grizzlies should at the very least use the 48th or 56th to add some shooting depth within its two-way spot.
Playmaking. Again, with the loss of Bane, there’s a lot of playmaking pressure on Ja Morant and Scotty Pippen Jr. The Grizzlies also need a plus-level playmaker in its frontcourt — go look at the best teams, they have a 4 or 5 that can create looks for his teammates. This need is just an overarching one to watch for throughout the offseason.
Who have Grizzlies worked out?
Per Hoops Hype, these are the players that have reportedly worked out for the Grizzlies. This is likely not the full list.
What the mock drafts say
16: Cedric Coward
48: Javon Small
56: Hunter Sallis
16: Liam McNeeley
48: Vladislav Goldin
56: Javon Small
16: Nique Clifford
48: Brice Williams
56: Max Shulga
16: Egor Demin
48: Micah Peavy
56: Javon Small
16: Nique Clifford
48: Ryan Nembhard
56: Sion James
16: Asa Newell
48: Kobe Sanders
56: RJ Luis
16: Collin Murray-Boyles
48: John Tonje
56: RJ Luis
16: Liam McNeeley
16: Nique Clifford
16: Cedric Coward
Prospect Tiers
At 16, it’s hard to zero in on a particular prospect, so I’ll break it down into tiers.
“Sprint to the podium”
Collin Murray-Boyles. Murray-Boyles is just a damn good basketball player. The shooting is a concern, but he’s a marvelous passer and defender. He’s ultra-physical on both sides of the floor. He’s a player that really contends to have 1-5 positional versatility defensively. He might be the prospect that most resembles Draymond Green, of anybody who’s received that comparison in the last decade. He’s going to play in many high-leverage games throughout his career.
Noa Essengue. Essengue is the highest-ranked player on my personal board (4), out of any possible targets. He has too many tools to admire as a young prospect — he doesn’t turn 19 until December. He can run the floor either as a lane-runner or initiator. He’s elite at getting to the lane. While he’s not exactly a rim protector, he’s fluid on the perimeter. He can get his offense without plays being run for him. All while being 6’10”. Sure, Memphis may need a more ready prospect, but Essengue is more ready than people give credit for. His upside is scary high.
Cedric Coward. Coward fits the mold the Grizzlies have coveted with desired trades for Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. Am I saying he becomes those guys out of the gate? No, but he has the upside to become this guy. He’s a big wing with a 7’2” wingspan — an archetype that has rarely failed lately. He’s an efficient three-point shooter and finisher, and has pinches of creation with a mid-range game. He has the gear to hit with his defense with his frame, but his length makes him a terrorizing presence defensively. If he’s on the board, the Grizzlies have to take the swing here. There’s not much downside because of the skeleton of his game, and he could be the steal of the draft at 16.
Good picks at 16
Nique Clifford. Clifford is the popular name for Memphis. He’s an older prospect that has a scalable skillset — crashes the glass, finishes well at the rim, is a smart playmaker, and a physical defender. He doesn’t scream upside, but it’s easy to envision him playing in playoff basketball games.
Liam McNeeley. McNeeley is better than his UConn numbers suggest. He was tasked with primary responsibilities, absent of a point guard or semblance of NBA playmaking. If you go back to his days at Montverde, you’ll see a big forward that’s a great processor, smart player, and lights-out shooter. He’s not necessarily the 3-and-D wing they covet, but his size, strength, and basketball IQ should help him defensively. With the Grizzlies moving on from Desmond Bane and maybe Luke Kennard, McNeeley could provide the combination of shooting and feel they just lost.
Carter Bryant. I’m not as high as Bryant on others, but he will impact the NBA with his defensive skillset at his size. He’s a stocks machine that’s a good individual defender, and as a team defender, he can be a reliable weak-side rim protector. The offense is a question for me. The percentages and shooting mechanics are encouraging, but is his game just scalable or is his offense limited? It may not matter a whole lot in Memphis, but that’s my only concern with him.
Jase Richardson. Richardson strikes the balance of “best player available” and “best player available for them.” Richardson is 11th on my board, and I don’t see him failing. He can be this year’s Jared McCain, and I see a Mike Conley outcome with him. His feel, shooting, and finishing are superb for his size. If he becomes a lead guard, his handle flexibility and decision-making are good enough for a playoff-rotation player outcome. The defense is solid. However, with Ja Morant and Scotty Pippen Jr. both trending closer to smaller guards, I’d advise Memphis to not draft Richardson.
Can be good at 16, could be a trade-down target
Asa Newell. Newell is a good finisher with the fluidity to hang on the perimeter on both sides of the ball. He may have more on-ball juice that was shown at Georgia. I’m bullish that Newell will be even better than he was at Georgia due to optimal floor-spacing and guard play to really let him cook. If Memphis trades down, he’d be a good target — although the pathway for him in the Grizzlies’ 4/5 rotation is tough to break through.
Ben Saraf. Saraf is an underrated draft shout for Memphis. At 6’6” (barefoot), he’d provide a bigger source of live-dribble playmaking that the Grizzlies haven’t really had. His passing creativity may be the best in the class, and he has incredible deceleration when getting to the basket. In FIBA, he accumulated tons of steals and deflections. The shooting has to be real, but he can develop into a big combo guard that takes playmaking pressure off Morant and Pippen.
Noah Penda. Penda is a pick that wouldn’t shock me at all. He’s a big forward that’s a high-level playmaker on both sides of the ball. He has real positional versatility defensively with his quick feet, anticipation, and stocky frame. The shooting is a bit troublesome. However, he’s a dude you can see playing in playoff basketball. Worth noting, his club plays in the same league as Tuomas Iisalo’s old Paris Basketball club, so there might be tons of homework on him.
Not super in on these guys
Egor Demin. Demin is an incredible playmaker, but he struggles to create advantages and to guard his yard. He has shot well in workouts, but the track record trends closer to “mediocre” to “poor” shooter. In a league defined by “weak links,” he has too many detrimental flaws for playoff basketball.
Will Riley. Riley has good feel and can be a solid NBA player. However, he has a long way to go defensively. Physically, I fear he won’t be fully ready to contribute at a positive level until closer to the end of his rookie contract.
Joan Beringer. Beringer’s size and athleticism are a dream fit next to Ja Morant, but he’s raw in terms of his feel. The Grizzlies shouldn’t necessarily use this pick on a safer, low-ceiling player, but they should steer clear of a player that requires tons of patience.
Danny Wolf. Wolf is a cool player with amazing highlights and passing acumen. However, his shooting is mediocre, and he turns the ball over a lot. He has an unclear defensive position. I’m not sure he can be a drop-coverage big next to Jaren Jackson Jr. or Santi Aldama, nor can he cover the perimeter alongside Zach Edey or Brandon Clarke.
Second-round names
I’m going to stick with elevator pitches on guys the Grizzlies could target with picks 48 and 56.
Sion James: built like a NFL linebacker, has the physicality to thrive defensively, smart connector, shooting is good but he has to show it at a higher volume. (wrote more about the Grizzlies fit here)
Koby Brea: one of the best shooters in the world, underrated decision-making, defense can be rough.
Micah Peavy: big wing that’s an absolute dawg, can create defensive events and lock up multiple archetypes, solid playmaker, but this is his first year with strong shooting sample.
Amari Williams: big man that’s a high-level passer and solid rim protector, but he cannot shoot the ball and has bad mechanics.
Ryan Nembhard: real floor general that’s going to keep the ball moving and space the floor, but unsure of his defensive projection due to size
Jamir Watkins: big wing that’s going to be a dawg at the point-of-attack, but he has to find an offensive role off-ball
Max Shulga: high-feel floor-spacer that could be underrated defensively — but he has to show what position he can defend, as a 6’4” off-guard
Brice Williams: scoring machine that can get to the mid-range, but he has to show where he can impact defensively
Brooks Barnhizer: big forward that crashes the glass, finds his teammates, and is a hard-nosed defender, but is a subpar shooter
Will Richard: strong 2-guard defender that can finish effectively when run off the line needs to take the next step from “good” to “great” shooter.
RJ Luis: ultimate hustle guy but has to show where he adds value offensively.
Rocco Zikarsky: you can’t teach size, and the Grizzlies could steer him towards a good club as a draft-and-stash.
Izan Almansa: accomplished big man prospect whose development stalled with the G League Ignite and NBL — see Zikarsky on development plan.
Trade ideas?
Obviously, people will point to trade ideas on draft night, specifically out. The main (realistic) players I’d trade out of 16th pick for: Herb Jones, Cam Johnson, or Keegan Murray.
(No, I do not think Deni Avdija, a favorite trade target of mine and Grizzlies X, is realistic. The Jrue Holiday trade indicates it. Derrick White is only semi-realistic, and would require more than 16. But yes, if the opportunity was there to get either of these players, I’d pursue it).
The main trade ideas that come from draft night revolve around shedding the salary of John Konchar. The Grizzlies could use 16 and Konchar to trade down. Brooklyn (19, 22, 26, 27), Washington (18), or Utah (21) are possible trade partners there. In my mock offseason, I suggested Konchar with the 48th pick to Chicago into one of their large traded player exceptions — the same can be said with Atlanta or Sacramento as well.
Other than that, I don’t suspect multiple trades for the Grizzlies with picks 16, 48, and 56. However, with the Grizzlies looking to shed salary cap space to extend Jaren Jackson Jr. at his value, the Konchar salary is the one I’m keeping an eye on over draft week.
Predictions
Before I make predictions, I’ll share what I’d do.
With the way the mock drafts are going, Cedric Coward and Collin Murray-Boyles — my two main targets — are off the board. If the Grizzlies wanted to have somebody that would for sure play in the rotation next year, Nique Clifford is the guy. Otherwise, I’d roll with Liam McNeeley — the Grizzlies need shooting, and he fits the desire for high feel and competitiveness. They could also let him build his game up in the G League, but he also has the potential to be a rotation player on day one if called upon.
With the second-round picks, Amari Williams and Sion James are priorities in my view, because of their feel and defensive acumen. Otherwise, I’d consider Koby Brea, Brooks Barnhizer, then a draft-and-stash player.
Okay so, predictions.
If he’s on the board, the Grizzlies will select Cedric Coward.
If he’s not, the Grizzlies will trade down and shed Konchar’s salary in the process, the final step in setting up the Jaren Jackson renegotiation-and-extension
In a trade-down scenario, they will select Noah Penda.
The Grizzlies will draft a player in the second-round that’s firmly in the rotation by the 2026-27 season.
I’ll be posting the scouting report from my draft guide of any player the Grizzlies pick on my Substack. With the 16th pick — or any other first-round pick they make — I’ll do a deeper dive in the coming weeks. Thank you for following along with me here.
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