BROOKLYN — When NBA fans think of the Memphis Grizzlies historically, two words likely come to mind:
“Grit” and “grind.”
Many would use those same words to describe Richie Saunders, who Memphis selected with the No. 32 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft to become BYU’s third draftee of the past two years.
ESPN had listed Saunders as its No. 7 best player available at the start of the second round on Wednesday, only for the 24-year-old sharpshooter to be off the board just two picks into the night.
After averaging 18.8 points and 6 rebounds per game through the first three months of his senior season, Saunders’ college career came to an abrupt end due to a torn ACL in February. Given how early he went in the second round, perhaps he would have been a mid to late first rounder had he been completely healthy.
Instead, Saunders now lands in Memphis, whose front office wanted him so badly that they reportedly turned down a number of offers from other teams who were looking to trade up to No. 32 so they could ensure Saunders would be a Grizzly.
“Saunders’ game has a simple translation to the NBA. He’s a good shooter who is extremely reliable off the catch and can do just enough beyond to be a role player in an era when you can’t just be a specialist anymore,” wrote Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. “He’s a smart defender who knows where he’s supposed to be, and he can help you out on the glass. He makes quick decisions and can attack closeouts at a high level.”
Across his final two seasons at BYU playing for Kevin Young, Saunders scored 17.2 points with 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting 41% from 3-point range and twice earning All-Big 12 honors — first team as a junior and second team as a senior.
“(Richie)’s a guy that’s had to get out of the mud, kind of do it the hard way,” Young told the Deseret News Tuesday night at the draft. “I’m just super proud of him. He bought into everything we tried to do with him, embraced it head-on and was able to flourish.
“I think it was great timing, he was ready to take a jump and I think our system, style and the way we played really helped him in his jump. But he’s such a maniacal worker. To see it all come to fruition for him, man, as excited as I am for AJ (going No. 1), I’m equally excited for Richie as well.”
Fitting the Memphis mold
Since moving to Memphis in 2001, the Grizzlies’ greatest success came in their “grit and grind” era of the 2010s, where they made seven consecutive playoff appearances and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2013.
Led by a core featuring the likes of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Tony Allen and Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies embraced a blue collar identity focused on toughness, defense and inside scoring, resulting in the now-iconic “grit and grind” moniker.
“The Grizzlies ... were never the fastest or flashiest team. They, however, built their DNA on something different, which ultimately fueled their tough defense, their bruising physicality, and their refusal to quit,” wrote Julian Eschenbach of the Basketball Network.
The current Grizzlies have stumbled upon harder times, finishing 25-57 this past season, trading away two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz and swimming in Ja Morant uncertainty.
But over the course of this year’s draft, Memphis has made one thing very clear through its decision-making: “grit and grind” is back.
Cameron Boozer went to the Grizzlies at No. 3 overall, followed by Mexican-born forward Karim Lopez with the 21st pick. Prior to Saunders’ selection, Memphis also struck a deal to acquire big man Isaiah Stewart from Detroit.
Boozer, likely to become the franchise’s new centerpiece, is a versatile bully ball master in the paint and unafraid of rough contact. Lopez shows impressive physicality for a teenager, and Stewart is the ideal frontcourt enforcer for today’s NBA.
Additionally, Memphis’ 2025 first rounder Cedric Coward just earned first team All-Rookie status as a long, tough, two-way wing, and 7-foot-3 Zach Edey is a block-swatting, walking double-double around the rim.
Aside from being arguably the best shooter in his draft class, Saunders’ other top strengths include his scrappiness, defensive tenacity and “uncommon motor,” to borrow Young’s words. All of those things seem to fit exactly what Memphis is trying to do with its new core.
Grizzlies fans will be pleased to know that Saunders first broke into BYU’s rotation as a freshman and became a valuable glue guy due to his relentless effort, but even upon emerging as a legitimate top scoring option and face of the program-type player, he still maintained the same “hair on fire” hustle that put him on the floor in the first place.
“I just put my whole heart and soul into this game. I love playing basketball and I love doing the things that impact winning. I shoot the ball, but I know how to get offensive rebounds and how to guard,” Saunders told Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor earlier this month.
“... That’s just what I want people to take out of my game, is it doesn’t matter where you’re from or whatever, where you’re measuring at or whatever, you can just go and put your whole heart into this game and have great impact on the game because of that.”
Once Saunders recovers from his ACL tear — he told John Hollinger of The Athletic that “he thinks he’ll be ready to go at the start of the season” — his 3-and-D ability should lead to playing time with the Grizzlies. At the very least, players with Saunders’ frame who hit 40% of their 3-pointers tend to get minutes in the NBA.
But upon seeing him dive after loose balls, fearlessly crash the glass, chase down opponents in transition, never take his foot off the gas pedal defensively and provide energy for his teammates to feed off of, Saunders’ value will be all the more obvious — and resonate with the Memphis fans who love seeing such grittiness and win-impacting effort.
“Richie Saunders isn’t just an NBA player,” said Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports. “He’s gonna be an NBA player for a long time.”
