EAGER TO LEARN
Griz draft pick Jarell Martin plans to soak up knowledge from team veterans ‘like a sponge.’
Grizzlies draft picks Jarell Martin and Andrew Harrison had never spent any time in Memphis before.
By all accounts, the rookies got a good first impression Sunday night when Griz brass treated them to a meal at Soul Fish Café.
“I had some good food, so that’s a good sign,” Harrison, the 44th overall pick last week, said when asked if he’ll like Memphis.
Both players sounded eager to return the favor by making a strong impression on the court.
Griz general manager Chris Wallace introduced Harrison, a 6-6 combo guard from Kentucky, alongside Martin, the 25th overall pick and a 6-10 forward out of LSU, to media Monday afternoon in FedExForum and touted their versatility.
“These were two of the elite players in the SEC last year,” Wallace said. “Jarell is someone who showed tremendous growth in his game and production as a sophomore. Andrew is very experienced on the biggest stages of college basketball. He’s got excellent size and is an advanced defender for his age. … We feel like you’ve got to develop young players and get them in the pipeline.”
Martin began his college career at small forward and was moved to power forward as a sophomore. The Griz envision a player who can serve as a “stretch four” in converting midrange shots, be a strong rebounder against bigger players and attack the rim off the dribble.
“It’s a veteran team and I’m going to come in like a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge as I can gain from these guys,” Martin said, rebutting persistent reports that the Griz promised to pick him before the draft. “There was never a promise. I came into the workout and competed hard. My effort overall is what gained their interest in me.”
At 6-6, Harrison can play both guard positions. Harrison’s penchant for getting
in the lane allows him to make plays for himself and teammates.
“I like to watch all of the great point guards, including Mike Conley, Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving, and try to implement some of their stuff in my game,” Harrison said, adding that he has no regrets about leaving school early and falling deep into the second round. Memphis did not own a second-round pick in last Thursday’s NBA draft but traded forward Jon Leuer to Phoenix for Harrison’s rights.
Harrison was once projected to be a first-round pick.
“All of that doesn’t matter. I’m happy to be here,” Harrison said. “I’m happy I made the decision that I made.”
Harrison will participate with the Grizzlies in the Orlando summer league, beginning Saturday. Martin confirmed that he has a stress fracture in his foot. He will attend the summer league but won’t play in any games.
“I’ll be doing rehab while I’m out in summer league,” Martin said. “I overworked my body throughout this whole (draft) process. We’ll see when we get back how things go.”
Tip-in: The Griz recently discussed a potential trade to acquire former All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson from the Brooklyn Nets, according to an ESPN.com report that cites league sources.
However, a source told The Commercial Appeal that there was only a cursory discussion that never led to the Griz actually offering players from their roster.
Johnson, 34, has one year left on a contract that pays him $24.9 million for the 2015-16 season. The 6-7 swingman averaged 14.4 points on 43.5-percent shooting overall last season. Johnson’s 35.9-percent 3-point shooting during the regular season dipped to 29.3 percent in the playoffs.
The Grizzlies’ inquiry about Johnson happened before the draft. Memphis then acquired veteran forward Matt Barnes in a draft-day trade with the Charlotte Hornets to add more depth at the wing.