NBA Future Watch: David Roddy Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – David Roddy brings an all-around athletic skill set to the NBA the likes of which few players do. Roddy starred in high school basketball, played at an all-state level quarterbacking the football team and won a state championship hurling the discus in track and field. The 2019 Minnesota Male High School Athlete of the Year award served as all-inclusive recognition of Roddy’s sum total of exploits. The cross-training furnished Roddy with a far more powerful physique than the average small forward in the NBA possesses: 6’5”, 260 pounds, with a wingspan of 6’11”!
A crucial point in Roddy’s destiny on the hardcourt came in his junior season, a star turn that saw him post 24.5 PPG and 12.9 RPG. His senior year saw a massive jump forward from those numbers, landing at 29.7 PPG, 16.6 RPG, 3.8 APG and 2.2 BPG. The result was a number of scholarship offers for basketball and football. Opting to focus on hoops, Roddy eschewed larger schools to enroll at Colorado State.
The transition to full focus on basketball lasted three seasons, as Roddy meticulously expanded his skill set. From freshman to junior seasons, there were major jumps in several categories: PPG (11.4 to 19.2), RPG (5.6 to 7.5), APG (1.8 to 2.9), BPG (.8 to 1.1), FG% (.465 to .571) and 3% (.195 to an eye-popping .438). The decorations that followed – 2022 Mountain West Player of the Year and finalist for the Lute Olson, John Wooden, and Karl Malone Awards – made it clear that Roddy was ready for the NBA Draft. The Grizzlies agreed, flipping one of their valued rotation players, De’Anthony Melton, to Philadelphia for the draft rights to Roddy and the contract of Danny Green.
On one of the league’s most talented teams, with a plethora of young skill, Roddy will fit in right away as a devastating weapon in isolation. His ability to score at all levels will help him to win playing time in a crowded rotation. As is the case with players possessing such power, Roddy must work to limit the trade-offs defensively with vertical movement. While Roddy is undersized in the post, establishing himself there would help him be a valuable all-around force in the mold of Charles Barkley. To do so, on a Memphis team that seems destined for championship gold in the 2020s, would mark Roddy as a unique superstar on the present landscape.
NBA Future Watch: David Roddy Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – Stats
Statistical image generated from Sports Reference 10/30/2022.
NBA Future Watch: David Roddy Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – More Resources
- 2021-22 Leaf Metal Basketball Cards Checklist
- Secondary Market Pricing
- Beckett Card Catalog
- NBA.com Player Profile
- David Roddy on Twitter
- David Roddy on Instagram
NBA Future Watch: David Roddy Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – Image Gallery
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