Overview
- The Memphis Grizzlies selected Bennett Stirtz at No. 16 and Oklahoma City acquired him in an immediate trade on Tuesday night.
- Yahoo Sports reported the Thunder moved up by sending the No. 17 pick plus two second-round picks to Memphis to get Stirtz.
- Stirtz rose from Division II Northwest Missouri State to Drake and then Iowa, where he averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 assists and shot 35.8% from three in his final season.
- Scouts project Stirtz as an offense-first bench creator and floor spacer who can handle secondary playmaking while questions remain about his explosiveness and on-ball defense.
- Iowa’s Stirtz and Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson both being taken in the first round marks the first time the two programs each had a first-round pick in the same draft, with Jefferson selected at No. 28 and immediately traded to Brooklyn.