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15 minutes ago
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Five takeaways from Memphis Grizzlies 2025 NBA Draft class player introductions
The Memphis Grizzlies' three-man draft class stood side by side as they posed for photos. There was Cedric Coward, Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack. General manager Zach Kleiman was at one end, coach Tuomas Iisalo at the other. Advertisement Once the photos were done, the players headed out of the conference room and were greeted by Grizzlies forward GG Jackson, who dapped them up. Kleiman joked that Jackson, who is still 20, is younger than all three of the 2025 draft picks. And that is true. This draft class features three players with multiple years of collegiate basketball experience, and all of them looked comfortable sitting in front of a contingent of local media members. Here are five takeaways from the introductory news conference at FedExForum on June 27. The rookies did their homework Call Memphis a small market, or complain about the Grizzlies' lack of national TV games, but none of that stopped these rookies from knowing about their new team. Advertisement Coward, the No. 11 pick, again referenced "grit and grind" when speaking about his knowledge of Memphis. He also brought up the name for the grouping of Tony Allen, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph. "They had the Core Four, which I'm pretty sure all of us grew up watching," Coward said. "I just want to be a part of that as well and just have a positive impact, no matter what." Mashack, who grew up in California, spent a lot of his childhood watching Allen. "He might not be the most popular person to watch for a lot of people, but for me, it was something special," Mashack said. Small mentioned how the Grizzlies have a nice mix of young and veteran players. Advertisement "I'm just ready to get in and compete," he said. "I think that's what everybody wants to do." Summer league next? Summer league action for the Grizzlies will begin on July 5 in Salt Lake City before they go to the Las Vegas league. Each of the rookies are in different positions in terms of their potential availability. Coward, who is in the final stages of recovering from a shoulder injury, is expected to be "TBD" for summer league, Kleiman said. Mashack, who was acquired in a Day 2 trade and taken at No. 59, is still waiting on the deal to be finalized. Once that is done, he is expected to be able to join the team. Advertisement As for Small, he's good to go and will be with the Grizzlies for summer league. Cedric Coward's personality shines bright Coward certainly isn't camera shy. When the rookies entered the conference room, he looked over to the media members and waved his hand, flashing a big smile. He talked about his admiration for cooking tacos and wings, among other things. That personality and looseness is part of what got Coward to Memphis. He mentioned multiple times that he wants to keep doing the things that got him here. While he was mostly was talking about his basketball work, having that bubbly personality will make him a fan favorite in no time. Tuomas Iisalo getting new pieces Iisalo spoke publicly for the first time since his promotion from an interim role. He said he's excited about the new group as the Grizzlies aim to get more athletic and add positional length. Advertisement "They fit in very well with what we want to do," he said. "Each one of them have multiple developmental pathways, how they can improve." Iisalo will be coaching the Grizzlies during summer league. Jahmai Mashack's confidence Evident by his admiration for Allen, Mashack likes to get after it on the defensive end. He was regarded as one of the best defenders in the draft class, but lasted until the final pick because he didn't put up strong offensive numbers. In 38 starts as a senior, he averaged 6.0 points and 1.5 assists per game. He knows his offense will be a big talking point, but the new Grizzlies guard sounds confident in his ability to shoot the ball. Mashack called his shooting "underrated." At Tennessee, he took 1.5 3-pointers per game and made 35.1%. Advertisement "I know what I'm capable of," he said. "I know that I'm a solid shooter. I know I'm growing to be even better. I know if I can get that in my game, I'm going to be a great and complete player in this league." Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies 2025 NBA Draft class introduced at FedExForum
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3 days ago
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Emotional reaction of Javon Small's grandpa to Grizzlies pick goes viral
The post Emotional reaction of Javon Small's grandpa to Grizzlies pick goes viral appeared first on ClutchPoints. Memphis Grizzlies' newest guard Javon Small had a viral moment involving his grandpa after getting selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. Memphis is in the middle of revamping its roster after the blockbuster trade of shooting guard Desmond Bane. The Grizzlies are looking to build an elite supporting cast around the core of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the foreseeable future, and are hoping to take that good-to-great jump. And the franchise has replaced Bane with several quality role players, including the West Virginia standout. Advertisement Small has had a long road to the NBA, and his family was justifiably emotional when hearing his name called at No. 48 overall. In particular, Javon's grandpa went viral for his reaction in a beautiful moment. Four years ago, the 6'3 guard was an unranked recruit out of Indianapolis who had just signed to play with East Carolina. Small played two years with the Pirates, improving each season he was with the program. The tenacious guard subsequently played the last two seasons of his college career at Big 12 schools, Oklahoma State and then West Virginia. With the Mountaineers, Small had his best year yet, averaging 18.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.5 steals en route to a First-team All-Big 12 selection. The 22-year-old is a versatile backcourt player on both ends, who provides the kind of point-of-attack defense that can immediately help a team like the Grizzlies. Small will likely have to work his way up from the G League at first, but he has the upside to contribute to this roster sooner rather than later. Still, Memphis has a ton of good pros in the backcourt even with Bane gone. Advertisement In addition to Morant and Small, this roster comprises Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Scotty Pippen Jr., Luke Kennard, Cole Anthony, and No. 11 overall pick Cedric Coward. Starting small forward Jaylen Wells also has the capability of filling in at shooting guard in certain situations. While it won't be easy for Javon to gain a rotation spot, he is used to being underestimated before. The young guard possesses the determination and grit that this franchise needs going forward. Overall, Small earned this moment on Thursday night, and his family deserves their flowers for helping him reach this point. Javon is undoubtedly ready to get to work for the Summer League. Related: Grizzlies, Blazers trade grades for 2025 NBA Draft deal Related: Why Grizzlies see Giannis Antetokounmpo potential in Cedric Coward
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3 days ago
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Grizzlies, Blazers trade grades for 2025 NBA Draft deal
The post Grizzlies, Blazers trade grades for 2025 NBA Draft deal appeared first on ClutchPoints. The 2025 NBA Draft day brought forth a range of surprises. While nobody doubted Cooper Flagg would be selected by the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies rose as high as the No. 11 pick to select Washington State star Cedric Coward. Advertisement In order to do so, they initially traded their No. 16 pick, a 2028 first-round pick (via Orlando Magic), and two second-round picks to land their man. The Grizzlies were not done there, and they also took Javon Small with their No.48 pick and landed Jahmai Mashack with the No. 59 pick. On the other hand, the Portland Trail Blazers seemed content as well. They took on Chinese center Hansen Yang. General Manager Joe Cronin stated that the team had been tracking the Qingdao Eagles 'for years.' As we break down what both teams got out of this draft day trade, all eyes will be on Coward, who had initially commited to Duke for another year, but chose to remain in the draft pool. Grizzlies bet big on Cedric Coward The Grizzlies were always going to have a busy draft night. They had the No. 16, 48 and the 56 picks beforehand. However, they bet big on Cedric Coward and moved considerable assets to reach up to the No. 11 pick. Advertisement Coward is a versatile wing who played only six games for Washington State last year after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury at the start of the season. Through six games, he was averaging 17.7 points and seven rebounds per game. This was an improvement from his previous year's 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for Eastern Washington. Coward is a two-way player and an efficient scorer with a solid jumper. However, it might be his qualities on the defensive end that convinced Memphis. Cedric is a gritty defender with a 7 feet 2.25 inches wingspan and a standing reach of 8 feet 10.00 inches. An athletic presence in the vein of a Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies might already view him as a potential replacement for a player they only recently sent to Magic. That also makes him a potentially ideal fit alongside the likes of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson. However, while Memphis may develop him as a long-term star, his potential does not seem to explain the price they ended up paying. Advertisement The Grizzlies gave up a future first-round pick along with two second-rounders, which may in the future seem like a bad move. Alongside Coward, the Grizzlies also got combo guard Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack from the draft, two players who can be expected to act as rotational pieces immediately. Their draft strategy showed a commitment to surrounding their core with defensive-minded, versatile players. The Grizzlies clearly wanted to upgrade their perimeter length but may have given up too much to get there. Grade: B- Trail Blazers go for Hansen Yang, cash in on future picks Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports While the Grizzlies got what they wanted, it was not to say that the Trail Blazers were on the losing side of this deal. Their trade-down to the No. 16 pick got them multiple future picks. At the same time, they took on Hansen Yang, a player Joe Cronin claimed Portland had been scouting him since the under-18 level, per KGW8. Advertisement 'We've been scouting him deeply for almost two years now. We had a scout identify him during one of his under-18 events, and then we sent Mike (Schmitz) and Sergi (Oliva), our two assistant GMs, over to China that fall to scout him live,' Cronin said. Yang has played two seasons for the Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association. Last season, the 7-foot-1 center averaged 16.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while scoring at an overall 58.6%. Already a Chinese International, Yang led the CBA in blocks last season and was largely not expected to be a first-round pick. The 20-year-old was not among the 24 players invited to the draft's green room. He joins a crowded frontcourt that already boasts of Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III, and Duop Reath. However, that may prove to be a blessing as he attempts to settle down in the NBA. Yang can easily prove to be a huge steal from the draft, something Portland will be hoping for. That, in addition to the second-round picks they got out of the deal means that the Trail Blazers might be better off after moving down to No. 16. Grade: A Related: Emotional reaction of Javon Small's grandpa to Grizzlies pick goes viral Related: Why Grizzlies see Giannis Antetokounmpo potential in Cedric Coward
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3 days ago
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Memphis Grizzlies trade back in 2025 NBA Draft, send No. 56 to Golden State for No. 59
The Grizzlies are making a draft pick trade — again. After moving up from No. 16 to No. 11 during the first day of the 2025 NBA Draft on June 26, Memphis reportedly made a deal to move back in the second round. The Grizzlies traded the No. 56 pick to the Warriors, who will acquire Florida's Nick Richard. Advertisement Memphis already had one pick in the second round and took West Virginia's Javon Small. The Grizzlies moved down in the draft and will have the No. 59 selection. That's the final pick of the draft. The Grizzlies picked Washington State guard Cedric Coward with No. 11 in the first round, but Memphis still has a few areas it could add to in the second round on Thursday. Starting center Zach Edey will miss the start of the 2025-26 season because of an ankle injury, so the Grizzlies could look to add depth there. Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at or on X @thejonahdylan. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies trade back in 2nd round of NBA draft, deal No. 56 to Warriors
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3 days ago
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Memphis Grizzlies NBA Summer League schedule 2025: Games, times, TV in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas
The NBA has released the full schedule for the Memphis Grizzlies and all teams for the 2025 Las Vegas Summer League games. Scheduling for the Grizzlies' Salt Lake City Summer League games already had been announced. Advertisement The Grizzlies will play four games in Las Vegas, starting on July 11, before having a chance to advance to the semifinals and championship game. Summer league play in Vegas runs July 10-20. Memphis will play the Boston Celtics on July 11; Portland Trail Blazers on July 12; Golden State Warriors on July 15; and Atlanta Hawks on July 17. All Las Vegas games will be televised. As usual, Memphis will begin its run in Utah at the Salt Lake City Summer League with three other teams. The Grizzlies will play three games in Utah before heading to Las Vegas. The games in Utah won't count against their tournament record for Las Vegas. The Grizzlies play the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on July 5; Utah Jazz on July 7; and Philadelphia 76ers on July 8. Advertisement Summer league will be the first chance Grizzlies fans can see 2025 draft picks Cedric Coward, Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack. Coward, a first-round pick at No. 11 overall, is still "TBD" for summer league due to a shoulder injury from last season, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said. Coward said he feels healthy, but the Grizzlies want to see him practicing with contact before being cleared for games. Memphis hasn't announced its summer league team, but there are several names from the current roster who could be included. Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson are among the current players who have expressed interest in playing summer league games. Cam Spencer also could be included after playing sparingly this past season. Advertisement Former first-round pick Zach Edey had hoped to play in summer league, but his ankle injury will keep him out. Here is the full Grizzlies summer league schedule. Full Grizzlies Las Vegas, Salt Lake City Summer League schedule All times Central Salt Lake City July 5: Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder (6 p.m.) July 7: Grizzlies vs. Utah Jazz (8 p.m.) July 8: Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers (6 p.m.) Las Vegas July 11: Grizzlies vs. Celtics (3 p.m., NBATV) July 12: Grizzlies vs. Blazers (9:30 p.m., ESPN2) July 15: Grizzlies vs. Warriors (9:30 p.m., ESPN+) July 17: Grizzlies vs. Hawks (5 p.m., NBATV) Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies Las Vegas NBA Summer League schedule 2025 released
