Former Miner Julian Washburn Signs Two-Way Contract With Grizzlies

After bouncing around the NBA G League for a couple years, former UTEP basketball standout Julian Washburn officially signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies today.

Memphis General Manager Chris Wallace announced the signing of Washburn after of waiving forward/center Jarnell Stokes.

Washburn, a 6-foot-8 combo guard/forward, started 18 games this season with NBA G League's Austin Spurs where he averaged 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists through 23 total games this year. He shot 44.4 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from 3-point range.

He's a 27-year-old basketball player who was undergoing his third season with Austin (2015-16, 2017-19) and helped Austin capture a 2018 NBA G League championship.

Prior to playing in the G League, Washburn bounced around teams overseas in Germany and New Zealand. The Houston native was left undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft.

At UTEP, Washburn won the 2014-15 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Award and was selected to the C-USA All-Defensive Team three times. He ranks first in UTEP history for minutes (4,448), fourth in field goals (592), sixth in scoring (1,526 points), tied for eighth in three-point field goals (119), 11th in assists (274) and 12th in steals (118).

Memphis hopes that a player like Washburn can come off the bench and help as a wing defender. He fits their gritty mantra—fighting for buckets on offense and grinding it out on defense.