"Tony Wroten struggled to make a midrange shot but he consistently buried 3-pointers. His ability to stay in front of an offensive opponent looked pedestrian at times yet Wroten made it impossible to score on him after recovering at the paint. Wroten can make magic with his left hand. There are questionable moments when plays originate from his right. The University of Washington combo guard stands 6-5, was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and was the Grizzlies' highest-rated draft prospect to visit as of Monday. And Griz director of player personnel Tony Barone Sr. perhaps summed up best Wroten's visit as a late first-round candidate." http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/26/huskies-wroten-intrigues-grizzlies/
My biggest fear is that the Grizzlies draft Tony Wroten, Jr. or Marquis Teague. Dont get me wrong; both players have the ability to be phenomenal NBA players. I just don't think either is the right fit for the Grizzlies. Casual followers (and unfortunately ill-informed beat writers) look at the Grizzlies' depth chart, see they don't have a reliable back-up point guard and then think that's something that can be fixed through a late first round draft pick. The reality is that, while the Grizzlies do need back-up a point guard, Wroten and Teague are similar to Selby. If Selby had stayed at Kansas another year, he'd be in the same grouping, and I don't feel particularly confident with Selby (who is under contract next season) playing significant minutes at the point, so why create a developmental logjam? The Grizz don't need a point guard who can't shoot and turns the ball over. Conley has developed into one of the better point guards in the league, in terms of what a point guard is supposed to do, and all the Grizzlies need is a player who can come in and play a consistent 10-20 mpg in reserve. This year's free agency crop isn't top-heavy, but it is deep, and it would make more sense for the Grizz to fix their problems with backup point guards through that outlet (unless someone like Marshall slips of course). Idealistically, they'd take the best player available, but that's really too much to expect for the same team that took Robert Archibald over Carlos Boozer in the early 2nd (not just sh*tting on them for that pick... look at their draft history... it's embarrassing... they took Thabeet #2 because their owner who doesn't watch basketball saw him in a workout and instructed the GM to draft him because of his height.) They should consider Jeff Taylor, Draymond Green, and Royce White, amongst others. Jeff Taylor seems like a perfect fit, because he can come in and contribute in some of areas that the Grizzlies need improvement. He's a good spot-up three point shooter, and he plays stellar defense. His potential is limited and he can't intiate offense off the dribble, but why would the Grizzlies care about that? They're not investing in a long-term project with their #25 pick -- they're trying to get a 10 mpg off the bench role player, and that's Jeff Taylor. Draymond Green would also fit in perfectly. I tend to shy away from advocating the Grizz snatching him at #25, because I'm a die-hard MSU fan and am always trying to not let my own personal bias interfere with my evaluations, but I can honestly see him finding a place with the Grizzlies. I'll probably be expanding on this tomorrow in draft discussions, but he's a player who's destined to be a role player in the NBA, yet that's not in the sense that he's just a body who can log some minutes while not being a liability but rather some one who can be one of those players that helps a team 'on the cusp' of contending for a title become a team that actually wins one.
