In a league being dominated by offensive possessions, the Memphis Grizzlies will teach Minnesota’s Derrick Rose about defense on Sunday.
In a recent interview with former league MVP Derrick Rose, the Chicago native goes on to question, “does any team really play defense in the league?”
For years, the Memphis Grizzlies have been known for their aggressive “Grit-‘N’-Grind” defensive playing style. This playing style only seemed to have taken one season off, and that is largely in part to significant time missed by key players due to injuries.
This year, the Grizzlies are showing that they will not fold to the new playing style of the NBA. They are going “against the grain,” both figuratively and literally. They will not change their culture in order to conform with the rest of the association.
This style has been proven in their last two Eastern Conference matchups. First was their meeting against the Philadelphia 76ers, where Marc Gasol held Joel Embiid to 14 points on 4/15 shooting. Secondly, Memphis’ road victory over the East’s greatest shooting team, the Milwaukee Bucks, proved that the Grizzlies are not backing down this season.
Defensive Rating
Currently, the Memphis Grizzlies trail by a fourth of a point as the best scoring defense in the NBA, second to the Indiana Pacers. Memphis allows just 101.8 points per game. This is an impressive feat in a league dominated by All-Star offensive players.
Derrick Rose may not think that teams play defense anymore, but he may be surprised on Sunday afternoon as the Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Going up against Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Jaren Jackson Jr, and with the return of JaMychal Green, it may just prove that Memphis will not speed up their playing style, but instead throw their opponent off by grinding them down for old times’ sake.