After securing the second-best odds at the top overall pick in one of the most historic tanking races in league history, the Memphis Grizzlies somehow fell to fourth after the ping pong balls finished their bouncing at the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery. 

The Grizzlies have two major differences from the three teams above them in the draft order (and several below them): there is no potential future star on the current roster, and they have a starting lineup that has legitimate potential when healthy.

On point one, as much as I love Dillon Brooks, he is the closest thing the Grizzlies have to a top-flight future prospect. As for point two, a lineup of Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Dillon Brooks,75 percent of what Chandler Parsons used to be, and the fourth overall pick could actually do some damage.

Obviously, in the bloodbath that is the Western Conference, a team needs a lot more than that to even make the playoffs (Tyreke Evans potentially re-signing would be a good place to start). But, that lineup provides a sound foundation.

Unless the plan is to trade away the final vestiges of the Grit n Grind era and completely start over anew this offseason, the player Memphis takes in the draft should be a plug-and-play type that can make an immediate impact who also has the potential to be a future franchise player.

Normally, falling to fourth would be borderline disastrous in this situation, depending on the draft class and roster makeup, but the Grizzlies are lucky that 2018 projects to be a class with several blue-chip prospects.

Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton, the top two prospects in the draft, will almost certainly be off the board by the time the Grizzlies pick. Doncic would have been the perfect pick in my opinion.

He would fit into the lineup perfectly as it is, providing skills that the team lacks, and could also be the foundation for the future.

Thankfully, there will still be several top-tier options on the table at No. 4 for Memphis. After those first two picks are gone to the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, it all depends on what the Atlanta Hawks do at pick three.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marvin Bagley III are both very much in play for the Grizzlies.

JJJ is a long, athletic, two-way impact type. He is already a great defender and does all the little things right (both Memphis specialties). His offense is not quite there yet, but with his athleticism and basketball IQ that should come along fine.

Bagley is almost the opposite in some ways. His shooting and defense are not anywhere near the level of Jackson, but he is a beast in the post, rebounds relentlessly, and is an athletic freak.

Other prospects in the area for the Grizzlies include Mo Bamba, Michael Porter Jr., Miles and Mikal Bridges (unrelated), Trae Young, and Wendell Carter Jr.

It’s a deep draft. Bomba is huge, Carter is a stretch five, Porter (when healthy) can score, Young was the best player in college basketball this past season, and the Bridges’ are the prototypical super athletics 3-and-D guys that have become the en vogue choice near the top of the draft. Look at the Celtics, who are thriving with two young players from that same mold: Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

I would be happy with any of those players as well as Collin Sexton and Troy Brown and several others, but for the Grizzlies needs, Jackson and Bagley seem to provide the best fit.

If Atlanta takes one, Memphis should take the other. If they are both on the table, Jackson might be the safer bet.