Things are looking up even more for the Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies have been operating from a position of strength and they just got on higher ground. The draft lottery was a success, getting the third pick after having a puncher’s chance of cracking the top four.

Fans have prayed for times like this.

The timeline to get back into contention can be seriously sped up if they nail this pick. It’s unclear who will go first or second, but presuming it’s AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, picking Caleb Wilson or Cameron Boozer adds a highly talented prospect to a position of need in the front court.

Think of how many times the team had to play too small because of injuries and how there are not many shot creators up front. The Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, among others, are showing the public how important versatile size is.

Wilson would be the preferred choice because of his supreme athleticism and defensive ceiling. He’s a threat in transition to jam something powerfully on and off the dribble, so he should fit right in with coach Tuomas lisalo’s style. On top of that, he’s shown a nice bust-out move in the post and works well as a roller.

Boozer is more of a connector, having averaged 4.1 assists at Duke in 2025-26, yet he also brings post moves and bully-ball into the offense. He’s capable of being the ball handler, which makes the possibility of big-to-big action with Zach Edey and inverted screen-roll sets intriguing.

Either way the team goes, picking Wilson or Boozer should give the shooters instant help since teams are so willing to play help defense at the expense of the arc. Wilson or Boozer would eventually get minutes at center when the team goes small, but using one of them in a three-big lineup, like the Timberwolves do, could be a matchup nightmare for opponents.

Additionally, it would be best to keep Ja Morant for the development of the youngsters, but if the team is moving in another direction, there’s less of a chance they get desperate, making a bad deal since they have a nice stable of talent.

Still, some quality veterans will be needed to help with the workload. Think of how Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet have been big-time contributors as vet additions for the San Antonio Spurs. To boot, the Dallas Wings of the WNBA have only played one game, which was a win in at the Indiana Fever’s house on Saturday, but Paige Bueckers was working a lot easier than she was last year, courtesy of three new quality veterans, screening and passing to her.

Things started rapidly changing in the right direction for the Spurs and Wings as soon as they got their stars (Victor Wembanyama, Bueckers). Maybe they will for the Grizzlies as well if they get the right guy in this draft on June 23.

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