Grizzlies hold workout with Carter
Private session occurred Monday with Duke freshman
Before entertaining a pre-draft workout focused on the 32nd pick, the Grizzlies auditioned a player they might take with the fourth overall selection in the June 21 NBA draft.
Wendell Carter Jr. worked out for the Grizzlies on Monday during a private session without media availability.
Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace sounded impressed as Carter is the first known top-10 prospect to visit Memphis.
“Wendell is a very impressive young man on and off the court,” Wallace said. “He’s very bright. He knows the game front and back. He can score around the basket with both hands. He’s a heck of a rebounder. He’s well-conditioned. He had a terrific freshman year for Duke. He’s going to have a long, successful
career in the NBA.”
Carter was recruited by Harvard but chose Duke. He developed high-low passing skills and a spot-up jump shot. Carter shot 41 percent from the collegiate 3-point line.
Defensively, Carter compensates for a lack of elite athleticism with length, exceptional awareness and a high motor.
He’s got a 7-foot-3 wingspan and shows an impressive ability to read and react in tight spaces.
Boston Celtics center Al Horford has been a common comparison to Carter.
Wallace downplayed Carter’s visit when asked why no other players projected to go in the top 10 worked out for Memphis so far.
“It’s an ongoing process,” Wallace said. “We might get some guys in over the last week, but you can’t guarantee it. You’re in a position where some guys say we’re not going to slip back to where you are. Some guys in the back of the top 10 say you’re not going to take me.”
Instead, Memphis conducted another publicized workout Monday featuring Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk for consideration with the 32nd overall pick in the second round.
Mykhailiuk joined Elijah Bryant (BYU), Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (Samford), Donte Ingram (Loyola Chicago), Yante Maten (Georgia) and Terrell Miller (Murray State) in FedExForum.
On Tuesday, the Grizzlies will host A.J. Davis (Central Florida), Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky), Brandon Goodwin (Florida Gulf Coast), Devonte’ Graham (Kansas), Terry Larrier (Connecticut) and Ray Spalding (Louisville).
Wallace downplayed the lack of elite talent auditioning in Memphis while acknowledging he will travel to Chicago on Friday to see Michael Porter for a second time in a week.
Several of the top draft prospects are holding private, agent-driven workouts.
“Some of the guys look at your roster and you have players well-established; they’re looking at a place where they can start,” Wallace said. “If we want to draft them, we’ll draft them. Let me make that very clear. Some players just look at a quicker path to starting than here.”