​  BROOKLYN — When NBA fans think of the Memphis Grizzlies historically, two words likely come to mind:“Grit” and “grind.”Many would use those same words to describe Richie Saunders, who Memphis selected with the No. 32 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft to become BYU’s third draftee of the past two years.ESPN had listed Saunders as its No. 7 best player available at the start of the second round on Wednesday, only for the 24-year-old sharpshooter to be off the board just two picks into the night.After averaging 18.8 points and 6 rebounds per game through the first three months of his senior season, Saunders’ college career came to an abrupt end due to a torn ACL in February. Given how early he went in the second round, perhaps he would have been a mid to late first rounder had he been completely healthy.Instead, Saunders now lands in Memphis, whose front office wanted him so badly that they reportedly turned down a number of offers from other teams who were looking to trade up to No. 32 so they could ensure Saunders would be a Grizzly.“Saunders’ game has a simple translation to the NBA. He’s a good shooter who is extremely reliable off the catch and can do just enough beyond to be a role player in an era when you can’t just be a specialist anymore,” wrote Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. “He’s a smart defender who knows where he’s supposed to be, and he can help you out on the glass. He makes quick decisions and can attack closeouts at a high level.”Across his final two seasons at BYU playing for Kevin Young, Saunders scored 17.2 points with 5.1 rebounds per game, shooting 41% from 3-point range and twice earning All-Big 12 honors — first team as a junior and second team as a senior.“(Richie)’s a guy that’s had to get out of the mud, kind of do it the hard way,” Young told the Deseret News Tuesday night at the draft. “I’m just super proud of him. He bought into everything we tried to do with him, embraced it head-on and was able to flourish.“I think it was great timing, he was ready to take a jump and I think our system, style and the way we played really helped him in his jump. But he’s such a maniacal worker. To see it all come to fruition for him, man, as excited as I am for AJ (going No. 1), I’m equally excited for Richie as well.”Since moving to Memphis in 2001, the Grizzlies’ greatest success came in their “grit and grind” era of the 2010s, where they made seven consecutive playoff appearances and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2013.Led by a core featuring the likes of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Tony Allen and Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies embraced a blue collar identity focused on toughness, defense and inside scoring, resulting in the now-iconic “grit and grind” moniker.“The Grizzlies … were never the fastest or flashiest team. They, however, built       ​Read More