The Memphis Grizzlies selected Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack with the No. 59 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Mashack was one of the best defenders in Tennessee history, earning SEC All-Defensive honors during his senior season. A finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Mashack averaged 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks in his senior season.
“I think what Shack did was he was an extension of who coach (Barnes) is,” Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey told RTI during the NCAA Tournament. “Defensive minded and loved to play defense and made it be known that I (he) want to be the best defender in the country. You don’t see a lot of high school and college guys wanting to do that. Everyone wants to score the ball but his mindset was I want to be the best defender in the country.”
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Mashack’s defensive impact went far past the stat sheet, however. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound shooting guard frequently took opposing star guards out of the game and proved to be one of college basketball’s best perimeter defenders.
“If you go out and ask every coach who they fear on the basketball court most guarding their best player that’s a guard, one through three, it’s probably Jahmai Mashack,” Tennessee walk-on Grant Hurst said.
On top of his defensive prowess, Mashack averaged six points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in his senior season. The Fontana, California native’s shot steadily improved over the course of his college career with Mashack shooting 35% from three-point range in his senior season.
Mashack was the second Vol off the board in the 2025 NBA Draft joining fellow shooting guard Chaz Lanier. The Detroit Pistons drafted Lanier with the No. 37 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
