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2018 NBA Mock Draft: What’s in store for the second round?

By Brendon Kleen

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Grayson Allen #23 speaks with reporters during Day One of the NBA Draft Combine at Quest MultiSport Complex on May 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Grayson Allen #23 speaks with reporters during Day One of the NBA Draft Combine at Quest MultiSport Complex on May 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – MARCH 23: West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (2) drives during an NCAA Sweet Sixteen matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers on March 23, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Wildcats defeated the Mountaineers 90-78. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 23: West Virginia guard Jevon Carter (2) drives during an NCAA Sweet Sixteen matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers on March 23, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Wildcats defeated the Mountaineers 90-78. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

32. player. 211. . G. West Virginia. Jevon Carter

With Memphis deciding to stay the course with interim J.B. Bickerstaff taking over as the team’s next head coach, it might signal that the Grizzlies aren’t changing as much as we thought when they tanked the end of the year.

The Grizzlies lost enough without Mike Conley to land the second spot in the lottery, and will have the chance with the fourth overall pick to take a talented big man like Jaren Jackson Jr. or Marvin Bagley III. That means with this pick, their only second-round selection, Memphis will have an opportunity to balance their first-rounder with a guard. There will be several options, including Carter, Grayson Allen and Jerome Robinson, to name a few.

The team really just needs to add talent at as many different positions as they can this offseason, with Conley, Marc Gasol, Chandler Parson, Dillon Brooks and JaMychal Green projected to be contributors next season if healthy. That’s a team that could go a lot of different directions, and the Grizzlies would be smart to simply take the most talented, best-fitting players they can at picks 4 and 32.

Carter showed the ability as a senior to create open looks, nailing tough shots off the bounce and drive-and-kick passes. At the NBA level, he will be a 3-and-D guard, someone who could defend multiple positions and complement Gasol and Conley.

Perhaps Memphis reaches higher than Carter’s potential with this pick, but adding a solid two-way role player isn’t a bad option either if the team wants to get back to the playoffs soon.