Memphis Grizzlies take former 3-sport Minnesota athlete David Roddy in NBA draft
By Julian Basena
MINNEAPOLIS -- David Roddy can't seem to escape the box that talent evaluators place him in. For a player of his size, it's easy to get distracted by the 6'6", seemingly football-made frame.
Coming out of Breck high school, power conference schools saw a defensive lineman or a linebacker, failing to envision the front court centerpiece he would develop into at Colorado State. After college, NBA scouts made similar observations, focusing more on his bulk in favor of his unusual basketball savvy.
"He's a pretty unique prospect," one NBA scout told Sports Illustrated. "Once you drop your preconceived notion of positions and the more you watch him, the more you like him."
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman simply saw someone who could play basketball well and used his team's 23rd overall selection in the NBA draft to take the Twin Cities native.
"At the end of the day, I think what we care about is: who is the person and are they good at basketball?" Kleiman said in a post-draft availability.
Growing up in Minnesota, Roddy wasn't just good at basketball, he did also excel on the gridiron — though not as the defensive anchor his body would suggest. He played quarterback for Breck School and was an all-state passer at a hefty 270 pounds. He threw the discus well, too, enough to be a Minnesota state champion. Additionally, of course, averaging 30 points per contest and nearly 20 boards at Breck, Roddy was also a Mr. Basketball finalist, despite being ranked well out of the top 100 of his recruiting class.
Even with his proven talent, criticism invariably followed.
Too big to play quarterback at a high major program.
Too stocky to play any position on the basketball court.
Following considerable deliberation on which sport to play and which school to choose, Roddy eventually decided to extend his basketball career with Colorado State, where he matured wonderfully in each year. He made the biggest leap from his sophomore to junior year, averaging three more points per game, going from a non-factor from beyond the arc to a 40% three-point shooter and overall becoming one of the most efficient players in the Mountain West.
At the conclusion of his junior season, Roddy was named Mountain West player of the year as he led the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013. So he wisely tested his luck and declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility.
When he was finally recognized and appreciated as the talent he consistently showed he was, he was overcome with emotion on draft night. Crumpled on his couch in joyful tears surrounded by cheering family and friends, Roddy couldn't believe what his agent was telling him on the phone.
"It was just an unreal call and an unreal moment," Roddy said after the draft. "Still trying to recover from that."
Roddy was one of three former Minnesotans drafted that evening. Drafted before him was Chet Holmgren at the 2nd overall spot to the Oklahoma City Thunder, making Holmgren the highest drafted Minnesotan ever. About 20 spots later, Kendall Brown of Cottage Grove was selected by the Indiana Pacers.
Roddy also joins fellow Minnesota basketball standout Tyus Jones on the Grizzlies roster. Though the Breck alum played with just Tyus' brother, Tre, in the AAU circuit, he recognizes Tyus as a mentor who's offered advice since Roddy began navigating the draft process.
