After what had to be a long night of waiting, Josh Selby finally landed in a place very familiar with Bill Self products. The Memphis Grizzlies finally ended a painful night with the 49th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft when they selected Selby, giving the team their third KU player alongside Darrell Arthur and new backcourt mate Xavier Henry.
Chad Ford reported via Twitter that Selby’s draft stock slid because of medical concerns, and it seems the injury that sabotaged Selby’s college career is plaguing him at the next level as well. It’s amazing to see a player so hyped at one point losing his status, but the amount of players coming out of high school to such hype are many, so NBA teams have seen this kind of situation before. Yet the Grizzlies might have stumbled onto something special here given his athleticism and scoring ability.
So where does Selby fit on his new team? As a combo guard, he’ll likely spell at shooting guard for most of his PT, assuming he even gets any at all. Certainly his draft slot is no guarantee of a roster spot. Yet as poorly as Henry played last season, perhaps Selby could at the very least supplant him. O.J. Mayo is the incumbent and Sam Young is also present there, so there’s plenty of competition yet also an obvious chance to shine for a back-up slot if he wants it. Assuming Selby will be healthy in time for training camp, the chip on his shoulder might be just what he needs to secure that slot.