Memphis Grizzlies’ Draft History (2006-2015)

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor

Over the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the Memphis Grizzlies have made 19 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Kyle Lowry – long after he had departed from the franchise.

The following table details the Grizzlies’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:

Tier Picks All-Star All-Star Appearances Starter* Not in NBA
1-5 3 0 0 1 (33.3%) 1 (33.3%)
6-10 1 0 0 1 (100%) 0
11-15 1 0 0 0 1 (100%)
16-20 0 0 0 0 0
21-25 4 1 (25%) 2 1 (25%) 0
26-30 3 0 0 0 0
31-40 2 0 0 0 2 (100%)
41-50 4 0 0 0 4 (100%)
51-60 1 0 0 0 1 (100%)
Total 19 1 (5.3%) 2 3 (15.8%) 9 (47.4%)

*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.

The following is the league average over the same tiers:

Tier All-Star Starter Not in NBA
1-5 12 (24%) 30 (60%) 3 (6%)
6-10 8 (16%) 30 (60%) 7 (14%)
11-15 2 (4%) 12 (24%) 8 (16%)
16-20 3 (6%) 10 (20%) 8 (16%)
21-25 2 (4%) 8 (16%) 15 (30%)
26-30 1 (2%) 5 (10%) 20 (40%)
31-40 1 (2%) 11 (11%) 52 (52%)
41-50 2 (2%) 8 (8%) 70 (70%)
51-60 1 (1%) 1 (1%) 87 (87%)
Total 32 (5.3%) 115 (19.7%) 270 (45.0%)

The Grizzlies have made some strong picks in Mike Conley and Rudy Gay, along with some egregious ones like Hasheem Thabeet over James Harden and Stephen Curry, or O.J. Mayo ahead of Russell Westbrook.

Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades.  Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.  Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.

Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”

Pick History 2006-2015

All-Stars: Kyle Lowry (2006-24) — two appearances

Starters: Rudy Gay (2006-8), Lowry, Mike Conley (2007-4)

Rotation Players: O.J. Mayo (2008-3), Darell Arthur (2008-27), DeMarre Carroll (2009-27), Greivis Vasquez (2010-28), Tony Wroten (2012-25), Jordan Adams (2014-22), Jarell Martin (2015-25)

Out in Five Years or Less: Alexander Johnson (2006-45), Hasheem Thabeet (2009-2), Sam Young (2009-36), Xavier Henry (2010-12), Josh Selby (2011-49), Jamaal Franklin (2013-41), Janis Timma (2013-60), Jarnell Stokes (2014-35), Andrew Harrison (2015-44)

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.