Roddy's Return: Former CSU Rams star and current Grizzlies rookie plays first NBA game in Denver

Dec. 20—Dillon Brooks had one piece of advice for David Roddy ahead of his rookie season in the NBA.

"Find a way to stay on the floor," Brooks told The Denver Gazette before the clash between the Nuggets and Grizzlies on Tuesday at Ball Arena.

Through the first 30 games of his NBA career, the former Colorado State star has done just that.

He's one of just three Memphis players to appear in each game so far this season as the No. 23 overall pick in the NBA Draft has quickly become a key member of a team that entered the night with the best record in the Western Conference.

"I've just been really impressed with [Roddy's] done in a short amount of time," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. "He had an unbelievable summer, got thrown right in the mix with summer league and his competitive nature really took over. That's what we knew about him at Colorado State. He loves to compete, a guy that developed one year after another, always trying to find opportunities to get better."

Early on in the season, this looks to be a loaded rookie class in the NBA and Roddy is a part of that as he's 13th among rookies in minutes played — except he's the rare one doing it on a team with a real shot to make a deep playoff run.

"It's been super monumental to my growth," Roddy told The Denver Gazette. "In-game experience, you can't trade that [for anything]. For me to be getting this many minutes, I'm just trying to take every opportunity that I can."

What sticks out so far to his teammates is simple, but an often-overlooked aspect of being a rookie in the league.

"His confidence is bar none," Brooks said. "Even when shots aren't falling and when he's messing up, he's confident doing it."

Anyone that watched Roddy lead the Rams to their highest-ever seed in the NCAA Tournament this past March won't be surprised with how seamlessly he's fit in on his new team.

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"Everything was moving a thousand miles an hour in the beginning, but I'm starting to get used to the rhythm and the flow of the game," Roddy, who had a career-high 15 points against the Bucks last week, said. "I'm just trying to do everything I can to help my team win. This team is such a great program and organization. I'm just super-blessed to be here."

Even in his busy schedule, Roddy has had time to keep up with his old team and made sure to tune in as CSU picked up a quality win on the road on Sunday night against St. Mary's. He's also enjoying the chance to cheer on his old pal, Isaiah Stevens, as he gets the chance to be the star in Fort Collins. Although Roddy's always viewed Stevens as a star.

"Every time he's on the floor, he's a star," Roddy said of his former teammate. "He's leading that team now as he always did. Hopefully they can just keep it rolling and head into the conference schedule with a strong record."

The Rams' next game is against USC in the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix, which is coincidentally where Roddy and the Grizzlies are headed next.

"I'm trying to find parts of my schedule to watch their games," Roddy said. "I just talked to those guys [Tuesday] as soon as I landed and hopefully I'll see them in Phoenix, as well."

This current four-game road trip for Roddy and Memphis is a good early-season test to see just how they stack up with the other teams at the top of the conference.

"Winning is always fun and this team always makes it fun," Roddy said. "People say you learn from your losses, but you learn from your wins as well. I'm super-excited that we're in this position and hopefully we can maintain this."

Despite the position he's in, Roddy will always be the kid from Minneapolis trying to prove that he belongs. He spent three years in Fort Collins making Power Five programs regret not recruiting him harder and he's already shown draft experts that someone with his body type and play style can make it in the NBA.

But how often does he have an "Oh, wow, I made it" moment already two months into his pro career?

"Literally every time I step on the court," Roddy said. "I take time to just embrace the moment and understand that I worked super-hard to get here and not a lot of people do."

Ranking the rookies

The 2022 NBA draft class has great potential. Here are five of our favorites:

1. Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers: Could the Arizona product win sixth man of the year, too?

2. Paolo Banchero, Magic: Anyone else get Melo vibes watching the No. 1 overall pick?

3. Jaden Ivey, Pistons: When his outside shot comes around, Purdue product's an All-Star

4. Jalen Williams, Thunder: November's rookie of the month in the Western Conference

5. Andrew Nembhard, Pacers: When a former Gonzaga star beats the Lakers, he's on the list

By Paul Klee, The Denver Gazette