The Grizzlies have worked out 12 draft prospects over the past two days at FedExForum, but since only two of the group really seem to be legitimate candidates for the team’s two late first-round picks (#25 and #28), I’m going to (try to) keep this report brief.
- Greivis Vasquez
The group of guards the team had in on Wednesday was the more meaningful assemblage, despite the loss of Avery Bradley, the one-time feature attraction who had to cancel his workout after what appears to be the rare legitimate injury this time of year.
Even with no candidates for the #12 pick on hand, the team got a close look at two legitimate late-first round candidates: Xavier’s Jordan Crawford and Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez.
Jordan Crawford: Draft Express has Crawford at #38 right now, which seems about right to me. He was a hard player to get a read on in a workout. His wiry frame and hunched-over posture make him look weak, but he’s sneaky explosive, with a quick first step and the ability to finish above the rim. He did not shoot the ball all that well at the workout, but has a history of making big shots when it counts. You get the sense that he might shoot better in a game than in a workout. If Crawford makes it, he seems destined to be a high-volume, instant-offense guy in the mold of a Flip Murray or Marcus Thornton.
Greivis Vasquez: Vasquez has uniformly been down in the 50s in all mock drafts throughout the process, but I included him on my most recent Grizzlies draft board because his name comes up frequently in discussions about players the Grizzlies plan to look at. The team likes him and apparently that information is starting to get out, as Draft Express has moved Vasquez all the way up to the team’s #28 pick.
Despite spending what felt like seven years at Maryland (okay, it was four), I hadn’t really paid much attention to Vasquez before. And because of his age (23) and athleticism (very, very ordinary), I was skeptical of the idea that he’d be first-round worthy. I’m a little less skeptical now.
