- Xavier Henry: The Grizzlies’ top pick.
It was an underwhelming draft night for the Grizzlies given that intimations of a potential significant trade never materialized. But I can’t really complain about the two picks the team did make: Xavier Henry, the freshman swingman from Kansas whom the team picked at #12, ended up being the number one player on my final personal draft board for that pick — though not without some doubts. And Greivis Vasquez the big, veteran guard from Maryland, whom the team picked at #28, ended up being the second player on my list of five guys I liked late after surprising me at his pre-draft workout with the team.
Henry, despite his youth (still just 19) and pedigree (an elite-ranked high-school prospect), doesn’t really seem to have the explosiveness you would assume in a star NBA wing player. And Vasquez’s rather plodding athleticism would seem more at home in your rec league than in the Association. These are concerns — though more so for Vasquez. But these players each provide a trait that this particular Grizzlies team sorely needs. Henry, who shot 46% from the floor and 42% from three-point range at Kansas, could add a desperately needed outside threat to balance the team’s attack and bolster a bench full of wayward shooters. Everyone identified that as perhaps the team’s biggest need this summer.
But Vasquez could add a needed quality that has gone generally under-recognized: The ability to positively impact an offense without scoring. The Grizzlies offense is built on individual scorers, but those scorers will be even more effective with teammates who can spread the floor and draw attention (Henry) and who are adept at helping create shots for teammates (Vasquez).
