MEMPHIS – With the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Memphis
Grizzlies select … ?
The early and solid frontrunner is Murray State explosive point guard Ja Morant.
Most believe he’ll be the one slipping on a Grizzlies cap, sliding across the
stage on June 20 and shaking Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand when the No. 2 pick
is announced at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
But what about Duke prolific swingman RJ Barrett? Didn’t he enter this past
season as the consensus top NBA draft prospect and then only cemented his stock
by setting the ACC freshman scoring record?
Is the potential Morant-Barrett decision even a legit draft debate?
Can what seems to be a no-brainer now evolve into a mind-bender closing in on
draft night?
Teammates Zion Williamson #1 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils react
against the Syracuse Orange during their game in the quarterfinal round of the
2019 Men’s ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2019 in
Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Streeter Lecka via Getty Images.
While Morant carries the early and heavy momentum a week after the Draft Lottery
was set, a growing number of NBA executives, league scouts and national
basketball analysts caution against easily dismissing Barrett as a potential fit
and intriguing option for the Grizzlies.
Barring a catastrophic reversal of plans, Duke forward Zion Williamson is a lock
to be taken first by the New Orleans Pelicans. Count on that like Nawlins’
residents bank on beignets for breakfast.
What’s also clear is that in the coming weeks, the Grizzlies will complete a
daunting due diligence process to arm themselves with every facet of information
and analyses necessary for a draft decision that could define the next decade.
While a majority of executives among the 14 lottery teams in Chicago last week
rank Morant ahead of Barrett, some told Grind City Media that the talent and
potential impact gap between the two is hardly as wide as initially perceived.
The coming weeks of workouts could widen or eliminate any gap at all. National
media analysts and longtime talent evaluators tend to agree with that notion.
“RJ versus Ja is certainly a conversation,” Los Angeles-based ESPN Draft Analyst
Mike Schmitz said. “Personally, I think Ja has a little bit more upside in terms
of his explosiveness, combined with his feel for the game. RJ is going to be a
really, really good player. He’s going to be an All-Star caliber player.”
Schmitz also comprehends the other side of the spectrum.
“Not every team sees it the same,” Schmitz continued. “Some think that RJ, who
came into the season at No. 1 on our board, has a chance to be better than Ja
for sure because of his size and ability to score at all three levels, and make
others better when he wants to. So, I think it’s huge to have that top-three
pick, and it’s not a clear-cut (call), like, ‘Ja Morant is for sure going to be
a better NBA player than RJ Barrett,’ – even though that’s kind of how I see it
right now.”
The Grizzlies’ front-office contingent met with Williamson, Morant and Barrett
last week in the Chicago at the NBA Draft Lottery and Combine. While NBA
insiders and national reports have strongly linked the Grizzlies to Morant as
their target, top Memphis executives are committed to taking a methodical
approach to draft evaluations and will consider multiple options as they proceed
with the No. 2 pick.
Next month’s draft, coupled with the rapid development of returning All-Rookie
First Team forward Jaren Jackson Jr., gives the Grizzlies some foundational
pieces on which to build.
“Having Jaren plus whatever we do with the No. 2 pick is a pretty exciting
position to be in,” Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies’ executive vice president of
basketball operations, told Grind City Media last week. “This is a great outcome
for us. We look forward to where this process takes us.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies warms up before the game against
the San Antonio Spurs on July 5, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake
City, Utah. Photo by Joe Murphy via Getty Images.
If that process steers the Grizzlies toward the draft’s most prolific point
guard, then Morant brings a performance resume with a distinction as the only
player in NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists in a college
basketball season. A potential knock on the 6-foot-3 sophomore was that he
played in the relatively small Ohio Valley Conference and didn’t face elite
college competition nightly as did some of the draft’s other high lottery
prospects.
But when Murray State faced some of the NCAA’s higher-profile programs, Morant
elevated his performance even beyond his normal video-game like numbers and
viral highlights. In four games this past season against Alabama, Auburn,
Marquette and Florida State – the last two in the NCAA Tournament – Morant
averaged 27 points, 8.0 assists and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 49.7 percent
from the field, including 44.4 percent on threes. He also averaged six
turnovers.
“We always want leaders on the floor, guys who make other guys better and
(Morant) did that,” said Steve Kyler, who runs an international scouting and
analysis website Basketball Insiders. “If you look at his supporting cast at
Murray State, these are not guys we talked about as high-level, pro-level
prospects – and he made them all look great. And when you need a bucket, he
could do that, too.”
Count Kyler in the camp that believes the Grizzlies should keep it simple, draft
Morant and allow him the opportunity to develop alongside Jackson through some
initial growing pains. Patience is required along such a path, and the Grizzlies
would have a solid four-to-five-year window to build around that tandem while
holding internal advantages with their rookie-scale contracts and potential
extensions.
On the other hand, there’s a strong case to be made that Barrett is ready to
plug and play at a position of immediate need within Memphis’ current makeup.
Point guard Mike Conley, 31, is coming off his most productive season and has
two years remaining on his contract. And Jonas Valanciunas, 27, holds an option
to return next season after posting the most prolific scoring and rebounding
stretch of his career once he arrived in Memphis following the February trade.
There’s plenty of potential in a Conley-Barrett backcourt with Kyle Anderson,
Jackson and Valanciunas rounding out the likely starting five. In theory, it
gives the Grizzlies a unit that could quickly return to the playoff mix after
two straight finishes outside the postseason. With that core, Memphis would
almost certainly convey next year’s top-six protected lottery pick to Boston to
clear any remaining trade debts.
And Barrett stands out on his own merits, having done so since the time he
dropped 33 points for Duke against Kentucky in his college debut. The 6-foot-7
elite scorer had six 30-point games last season and averaged 22.6 points, 7.6
rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. The Canada
native was a spotty three-point shooter at just 30.8 percent, but had some
streaky moments with four games in which he’s drilled at least four from beyond
the arc.
Barrett was considered the top draft prospect heading into his freshman season,
but Williamson then exploded from the pack. Barrett proved he could be a team
player and still establish himself as a dominant force alongside Williamson. And
it was Barrett who kept Duke afloat once Williamson missed time late in the
regular season with a knee injury.
“That’s what most of these guys in the NBA were thinking, that this was going to
be the RJ Barrett draft,” said longtime college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman
of WatchStadium.com. “But Zion was just so good right out of the gate for Duke
and showed some things people really haven’t seen or have overlooked before,
which were his skill level, his fire, his intensity and his ability to play hard
all of the time.”
Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers celebrates scoring at the end of the
first half during the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball
Tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in
Hartford, Connecticut. Photo by Maddie Meyer via Getty Images.
Goodman has Morant rated ahead of Barrett and believes Morant can be a
franchise-altering player who might have a better NBA impact than even
Williamson. But from the Grizzlies’ vantage point, he also sees mitigating
factors – looming decisions on the status of veterans on the roster – that could
be key factors in the team’s ultimate direction at the draft.
The Grizzlies are in a unique position to weigh all angles and options;
particularly should Barrett make a push in draft workouts for stronger
consideration as the No. 2 pick. Memphis executives have watched the top
prospects in person during the season and are working on visits to either bring
some to Memphis or to monitor neutral-site draft workouts.
Glen Grunwald, who was promoted by the Grizzlies to a senior advisory role in
the front office last month, had been an executive with the New York Knicks and
Toronto Raptors. Last season, Grunwald was president and chief executive officer
of Canada Basketball, which gives him keen insight on Barrett’s development in
recent years as the next star prospect to come through the national program’s
pipeline.
Brendan Suhr, who worked as a scout with the Knicks under Grunwald, told the New
York Post that Barrett has can’t-miss upside entering the league.
“RJ has the potential to be as good a scoring guard as we’ve had come into the
league in the last 10 years,” Suhr told the Post. “He’s very versatile, with a
mentality to score. He’s dominated every level, dominated at the FIBA level. And
he’s got great size. He’s a winner.”
With the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers positioned to draft third and fourth next
month, Barrett may prefer to land in one of the NBA’s larger markets. He hasn’t
spoken publicly with the media since the May 14 Lottery order was set.
Meanwhile, Morant, who played at mid-major Murray State and is from a small
South Carolina town, has said he has no market preference entering the draft.
“Whatever team that drafts me – small market, big market, it doesn’t matter,”
Morant said. “It would be the same (scenario). I’m going to be happy where I’m
at.”
Less than a month out from the draft, the Grizzlies feel the same way about
their options at No. 2.
There’s certainly no debate about that.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations
staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known
to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the
access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the
media.
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