MEMPHIS – Barely a dozen games into his return from post-surgery rehab, Jaren Jackson Jr. is on pace for one of the most dominant defensive seasons in NBA history.
So what’s the source behind the resurgence of the Grizzlies’ defensive anchor?
“I’ve never caught this type of rhythm defensively before,” Jackson admits of his prowess in the paint over the past month. “I don’t know what it’s because of, and I don’t even know if I want to find out. I think I just want to ride this wave a little bit.”
With Jackson shifting the currents the moment he returned last month, the Grizzlies have been riding a wave from a bottom-five defensive team in the league to one of the NBA’s most lethal forces on that end of the court.
Some of the metrics from Memphis’ defensive turnaround are staggering in preparation for perhaps the team’s biggest test of an undefeated homestand when the Bucks visit Thursday. In the 11 games since Jackson made his season debut after completing rehab from offseason foot surgery, the Grizzlies catapulted from as low as 26th in defensive rating to now sixth in the league in the category that measures a team’s overall defensive impact.
The formula has been simple.
Step one: Insert Jackson.
Step two: Destabilize opposing offenses, especially in the paint.
Jackson is quickly building on last season’s breakout campaign when he led the NBA in total blocked shots and was selected to the league’s All-Defensive First Team for the first time. Now in his fifth season, Jackson is on pace to obliterate some of the NBA’s most dominant numbers.
The most recent example came Monday, when Jackson matched a Grizzlies franchise record with eight blocked shots in a 128-103 victory against the Hawks. That career night brought his total on the season to 40 rejections in just 11 games, already good for 10th most in the league.
That only tells part of the story of Jackson’s impact on the Grizzlies. Accounting only for games played since Jackson’s season debut on Nov. 15, the Grizzlies rank third in the NBA in defensive rating, third in opponents paint points per game and second in blocks per game as a team.
And according to NBA.com’s advanced analytics, Jackson emerged from Monday’s game ranked first in the NBA in differential impact in his team’s ability to defend the paint when he’s on the floor than when he’s not in the game. In other words, opponents are shooting 10.8 percent worse in the paint when Jackson is in the game lurking in the lane or near the rim.
If there’s an early case to be made for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson’s candidacy may essentially be second to none. All he has to do is remain available and relatively healthy.
“He impacts the game on the defensive end like very few people in this league,” Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones said of Jackson. “He’s changed our defense single-handedly. He impacts the ball, impacts what offensive players think, whether they want to go to the rim or not. And when they do go to the rim, he’s altering shots. He’s huge for our defense. He’s the anchor, and we knew getting him back would help that. But he looks like he’s missed no time at all.”
The Grizzlies have capitalized on the jolt Jackson has provided. They close out their longest homestand of the season Thursday, having beaten the Heat, Thunder, Pistons and Hawks during this stretch at FedExForum as part of an overall six-game winning streak.
At 18-9, Memphis is second in the Western Conference and had trailed the Pelicans by a half-game entering Tuesday night. That places the Grizzlies within striking distance of moving into first place in the West for the first time in franchise history through at least 25 games.
Much like his team overall, Jackson is finding consistent success on both ends of the court. Memphis is one of only two teams that entered the week ranked in the top-10 in both offensive and defensive rating. Jackson’s ability to remain on the floor and limit the foul trouble that had been problematic in his first few seasons has brought a strong balance to his game.
Jackson entered the week averaging 20 points on 54.5-percent shooting overall, including 43.2-percent on threes, over a stretch of nine games. His current season averages in scoring (18.4), rebounding (6.2), blocks (3.6), field goal shooting (51.1) and free-throw attempts (5.0) are all on pace for career-high marks. Perhaps most importantly, his 2.9 fouls per game average currently ranks as the lowest amount of his career.
Only a dozen games in, the sample size remains relatively small for Jackson.
But his imprint and impact on games have been huge so far. There are no signs of slowing down.
“When you see him out there just wreaking havoc – his activity, playing with different big combinations – he’s been phenomenal,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “And he’s backing that up on the offensive side, too. When he plays like that, it sets a tone with our aggressiveness. You see what he can do impact-wise, and we need him on the floor. When he does that, it usually means good things for the Grizzlies.”
It also usually means bad things for opponents driving at the Grizzlies in the lane.
Jackson literally rejects everything except that notion.
“It feels like it,” Jackson said of this being the most balanced stretch of his young career. “You always want to play your best basketball (in the moment). So these next months, you just build on it every time, and it will propel us to eventually where we want to be in the postseason.”
With Jackson reestablishing his dominance, the Grizzlies have their anchor back.
Their defensive foundation is in place.
The key from here is consistency.