Pivotal answers to an important Memphis Grizzlies offseason will be here in days.

The inaugural two-day NBA draft will take place this week on Wednesday and Thursday, starting with the first round at 7 p.m. (ESPN/ABC). Memphis is slotted in the ninth spot of the first round and owns two second-round selections at No. 39 and 57.

The Grizzlies have three picks, and they also have three team needs to best position themselves for title contention. Memphis doesn’t have much roster space available, so using all three picks seems unlikely, but the team can still address its major needs.

Here are three areas of need for the Grizzlies heading into the NBA Draft.

Memphis Grizzlies need a physical big

This one was a layup. Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman made it known at the end of the season that Memphis would be in pursuit of a big, and the draft is the first chance to deliver. In particular, Memphis needs a physical big. The Grizzlies should target a player who can handle NBA physicality as a rookie, protect the rim, rebound and set solid screens. Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey are instant options who have the potential to help in those areas as rookies. Talented bigs like Kel’el Ware and Yves Missi check a lot of the boxes, but expecting rookie bigs to battle Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert for 30 minutes isn’t a simple task.

Potential player fits: Edey, Clingan, Ware, Daron Holmes

Grizzlies need more 3-point shooting

If you’re a baseball or Atlanta Braves fan, you may have heard the saying, “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain.” The phrase was popularized in 1948 and alluded to the idea that the Braves were in bad shape when pitchers Warren Spahn or Johnny Sain did not pitch. The current Grizzlies could be the modern day basketball version. When it comes to shooting 3-pointers, the Grizzlies are Kennard and Bane and pray for rain.

Memphis needs more reliable 3-point shooters to better its spacing, which has become the most essential component of the Grizzlies' offense. More shooters also will yield better results in the half-court offense, another area that’s been a major struggle in the past two playoff exits.

Potential player fits: Dalton Knecht, Reed Sheppard, Jaylen Wells, Baylor Scheierman

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A lockdown perimeter defender would help Grizzlies in West

Memphis still intends to play Marcus Smart alongside Desmond Bane and Ja Morant while making Smart the player who guards the top perimeter scorer. That feels like a good strategy, but Smart’s availability isn’t a sure thing. The 30-year-old wing has missed at least 20 games in three of the past four seasons. Outside of Smart, Vince Williams Jr. is developing into a reliable top-level NBA defender, but Memphis should still look to add more. The Western Conference is loaded with teams that have multiple elite perimeter scorers, so Memphis must do its part in matching up against those challenges.

Potential player fits: Ryan Dunn, Stephon Castle, Kevin McCullar Jr., Devin Carter

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Areas the Memphis Grizzlies should address during the 2024 NBA draft