Kennedy Chandler has continued Tennessee’s pipeline into the NBA, becoming the sixth Volunteers player selected in the past four drafts.
The 6-foot, 171-pound point guard from Memphis had widely been projected as a late first-round selection but wound up going in the second round late Thursday night to the San Antonio Spurs as the 38th overall pick. Several minutes after the selection, ESPN reported that the Memphis Grizzlies had acquired Chandler for a future second-round pick and cash.
“I expected to go first round,” Chandler told ABC24 Memphis. “I did great in all my workouts. The only feedback was my size. I can’t grow extra inches. It’s not my fault about my size.”
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman told the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “We were shocked that Kennedy slipped to where he was.”
Chandler played just one season for the Vols but had quite the impact, averaging a team-high 13.9 points per contest and scoring in double figures each of his last 11 games. He also had 161 assists against 85 turnovers, and his 74 steals ranked second in the Southeastern Conference.