Wayne Selden, G, Memphis Grizzlies

Okay, I know this one is surprising. Some people barely know who Selden is. Two years ago in the playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs, Selden showed some flashes. Then he had a strong Summer League, but last year it was an up and down year. Memphis was terrible, Selden was in and out of the rotation and struggled with injuries. This year he again had a dominant Summer League and going into his third year he may start at shooting guard. It is between him and newly acquired Garrett Temple.

Selden only played 35 games and started nine last year. There were some good signs he shot 40% from the three, improved his free throw percentage to 74% and had a 55% true shooting percentage. Offensively it’s a mixed bag.

He turns the ball over a lot and isn’t much of a passer. Selden also struggles to finish at the rim but is a sneaky good shooter from midrange and three. He can get super hot sometimes. Selden was even alright at drawing fouls, but a lot of that may be because teams knew he was a mediocre free throw shooter.

Selden is a good athlete, and in Summer League, he looked much more filled out. He may be at his best in transition, where he ranked in the 76th percentile. I like when he gets going and does things like this.

Down two, I am just going to nail a three. Selden hits Darren Collison with two crossovers through the legs and then pull up and nails a dagger three. This is a big-time shot from Selden and shows how confident and skilled he is when he gets going.

Defensively it hasn’t gone well for Selden. He fouls a lot, doesn’t get blocks or steals and is a poor defensive rebounder. Individually it’s not much better. In particular defending pick and rolls and off-screen action, he fared much better against spot-ups. Strength will help with this, and too often he dies from screens. With his athleticism and added strength plus another year of experience, Selden should be much better.

This is a bit of a sleeper pick, but I think Selden is ready to take a significant jump. If he does the Grizzlies may be better than people think. It can’t just be Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, they are going to need a third player to step up, and I think that player is Selden. Plus, when is the last time the Grizzlies had a good two way starting shooting guard?

Next Up: Player 1