NEW YORK — Brandon Clarke sat in the green room with his closest loved ones — his mom, dad, step-dad, brother, sister, and a friend. He knew going into the 2019 draft that his range was somewhere between 12 and 20. But as time passed, his anxiety began to increase.
Finally, his agent had news for the former Gonzaga standout as the draft entered the late teens. The Memphis Grizzlies wanted Clarke, and they were figuring out a way to draft him.
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Not long after, the Grizzlies did just that by sending their No. 23 pick and a future second to the Thunder. Memphis took Clarke 21st overall, one spot after his projection. And suddenly, he felt a weight lift off of his shoulders.
“It’s kind of tough to not be anxious when you’re just sitting there and you’re waiting for your name to be called,” Clarke said. “But just after I finally heard my name called, pretty much all the bad feeling went away and all the anxious stuff went away. I’m just really grateful that I heard my name called tonight.”
Clarke is one of the most enigmatic players in the draft. He’s a 6-foot-8 forward whose game resembled a big at Gonzaga — a hyper-athletic, defensively dominant, uber-efficient big. He averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 3.1 blocks and 1.2 steals. He had more blocked shots last season (117) than missed shots (106).
And nabbing him in the bottom third of the first round is a clear win for the Grizzlies, who didn’t have an additional first round-pick outside of No. 2 before dealing Mike Conley on Wednesday. Clarke projects as one of the best defensive players in the draft. He’s a small-ball rim protector with massive upside as a perimeter defender as well. He’s confident in his ability to play and defend multiple positions.
“I can play a four, three,” Clark said. “I can play a five, two. It will probably start with just playing defense, really. I can block shots, guard pretty much anybody on the floor, in the paint. My shot is just getting better and better. There’s lots of stuff I’ll do to help teams win games.
On paper, Clarke appears to be a great fit next to Jaren Jackson Jr., who also showed elite potential as a rim protector last season. Jackson can cover for Clarke’s offensive shortcomings while complementing him on the defensive end of the floor.
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Clarke had no idea he would be drafted by Memphis going into the night. He didn’t even work out for the Grizzlies. But he’s familiar with Jackson and Ja Morant’s respective games.
“I’ve watched them both plenty and I think it’ll be very fun playing with both,” Clarke said. “Ja is clearly one of the most fun players to watch ever to me, and Jaren is also a very great talent. I’m just really looking forward to being able to play with those guys.”
“Ja’s a really good passer,” he added. “He can just make plays. He’s also really, really bouncy. He just plays hard. That’s something that I love playing with. Jaren is a really, really great talent too. He can do pretty much everything on the floor. It’s always fun playing with guys who are like that.”
He said he sees himself as a big next to Jackson, though he sees himself playing as a wing as well.
“I feel like in the paint it’ll be really tough to finish through us, over us,” Clarke said.
To play more wing, Clarke will have to improve as a shooter. It’s a challenge he’s ready to embrace. He only attempted 15 3-pointers last season, but showed solid touch out to midrange. He plans to improve that aspect of his game.
“I can do pretty much everything on the floor great except shooting,” Clarke said. “My shooting is something I have to get better. I feel that my 3-point shot isn’t great right now. It’s been getting better, but my midrange jumper has gotten much better. So that’s something that will be an actual weapon next year and in the future.”
Some background on Clarke — he was born in Vancouver and moved to Phoenix when he was 3 years old. He’s still a big follower and supporter of Canada’s basketball scene. He grew up watching Steve Nash and rooting for RJ Barrett. And he looks forward to playing with fellow Canadian Dillon Brooks, who was born in Mississauga, Ontario.
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“I’m a huge fan of every player that comes out of the country of Canada,” he said. “To see players come out of there and be very good is something that’s awesome.”
Clarke has never been to Memphis, and he sees it as a plus. He wanted to play in a city he has never experienced. He said he heard that Memphis has great barbecue.
Thursday night was the best night of his life, and he wants Memphians to know that he’ll play hard and help the franchise win.
“It ranks No. 1,” Clarke said of draft night. “I really couldn’t think of anything better. It was like Christmas, like when I was 10 again. It was awesome.”
(Top photo of Brandon Clarke: Brad Penner / USA Today)