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Memphis Grizzlies’ NBA Draft History Disproves Jim Boeheim’s March Madness Statement

By Christian Dudley

NEW YORK - MARCH 12: #34 Hasheem Thabeet of the Connecticut Huskies fights for a loose ball with Rick Jackson #00 and Kristof Ongenaet #12 of the Syracuse Orange during the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - MARCH 12: #34 Hasheem Thabeet of the Connecticut Huskies fights for a loose ball with Rick Jackson #00 and Kristof Ongenaet #12 of the Syracuse Orange during the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 12, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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The Memphis Grizzlies’ personal history in the NBA Draft entirely disproves Jim Boeheim’s statement as March Madness intensifies.

March Madness is in the air and NBA scouts and fans are keeping a close eye on the NCAA Tournament due to the next crop of promising NBA Draft hopefuls showcasing their respective skillsets. Prior to the tournament’s tip-off, Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim touched upon the draft process in today’s NBA.

Boeheim appears to be one of those firm believers that the NBA solely about offense, according to this direct quote which is provided by ASAP Sports from Wednesday’s NCAA Tournament media availability in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"“What I do when I start out, I say the NBA drafts for one reason: Offense. The NBA has never drafted a player for defense. At any position, even at center. Like when they drafted Tim Duncan or David Robinson, or Olajuwon or Shaq, they didn’t get one of those guys because of their defense. They didn’t draft Steph Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, go down the list. They didn’t draft one guy because of defense; they draft because of offense.”"

Perhaps we need clarification, but it appears Jim Boeheim spelled it the way he truly sees it. College basketball prospects, in his mind, are not drafted in June based off any defensive potential. He is indicating that zero defense is played in the NBA, which is a popular fallacy in today’s world of sports.

Related Story. Numbers Prove the Memphis Grizzlies Have Stayed True to Defensive Foundation. light

People — even casual hoops fans — that watch (not even analyze) the NBA will notice that there are plenty of tough defensive players. The top NBA All-Star players and superstars are mostly two-way beasts. They excel on both ends of the floor, and that is why they are known as such elite talents. These names were cannot-miss talents — generational players, if you will. Still, a few of those names were as dominant on the defensive end as they were on the offensive end, and from the peak of their collegiate days throughout their professional careers.

Ultimately, Jim Boeheim name-dropped only a few players that fit his argument and paid complete disregard to the honest truth. Players can and do get drafted for their defensive abilities, even ahead of their offensive potential.

For instance, the Memphis Grizzlies are absolutely included in “the NBA,” as the Syracuse coach put it. Over the past 10 years — the best stretch in Grizzlies franchise history — the team has made 17 selections to date at the NBA Draft. Three of those are international pick-and-stash prospects to have never encompassed a roster spot for Memphis. That leaves 14 names. You can safely say five of those 14 have been clear-cut defense-first prospects. Memphis specifically drafted those guys for their defense above all other characteristics.

These five in particular include Hasheem Thabeet (2009), Sam Young (2009), Jamaal Franklin (2013), Jaren Jackson Jr. (2018), and Jevon Carter (2018). Notice the trend of the Memphis Grizzlies selecting more than one defense-first player by utilizing a coveted NBA Draft pick. Not offense. Not fancy scoring or other offensive moves and characteristics. Though scoring ability — such as Jackson Jr.’s flourishing game — is welcomed in Grizz territory, it is just icing on the cake. The cherry on top.

The Memphis Grizzlies have built a defense-first culture this decade. It is not a secret by any means. They have placed all their chips on defensive-minded players because it further supports their vision, even in the latest transition between eras of Grizz hoops. All in all, they have been highly successful — owning a top-10 winning percentage in the NBA over the course of this decade. Even at that, they are second to the Indiana Pacers in team defense for the 2018-19 NBA season.

Memphis is just one of 30 NBA franchises. Even in a league that has evolved into common high-scoring affairs with plenty of three-point chucking taking place, defense still exists, and not just within the Grizzlies organization.

Look at guys in the league today such as Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley, Jrue Holiday, Marcus Smart, Pascal Siakam, and more. Again, notice that most of these guys — especially George, Antetokounmpo, and Leonard — are complete two-way packages. They are superstars for multiple reasons, but their teams are most successful because of their defensive intensity.

Linking back to the Memphis Grizzlies, the franchise selected Hasheem Thabeet and Jaren Jackson Jr. with the second and fourth overall NBA Draft picks, respectively. They were specifically chosen as top picks in their draft classes because of what they brought to the table from a defensive standpoint. Any offense was sweetener to the deal.

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Thabeet was very raw offensively, but he was a top prospect due to his incredible height, length, and strength. His game oozed defense. NBA teams’ scouts knew he was not much of an offensive threat, and they were okay with that. He had demonstrated plenty of times while at the University of Connecticut the ability to block shots at a high rate, clog lanes, protect the rim, and alter shots. Plus, he was a big body (an understatement) to prevent opposing centers from backing their way into the painted area.

Though Hasheem Thabeet was an NBA Draft bust, he was selected solely on his defensive potential. Now today with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. is a player that did not have a large sample size of collegiate exposure. He played just one season at Michigan State and logged only 21.8 minutes per game. He was not a primary scorer for the Spartans, and based off NCAA action alone, he was known for his defense before any other aspect. It was not until July 2018’s NBA Summer League that people really began to find out the kid had the potential to be a big-time scoring threat, too.

Still, the Memphis Grizzlies drafted Jaren Jackson Jr. due to his fit in their defensive schemes. He was a player that could be groomed by another elite center defenseman in Marc Gasol. Jaren, showing that aforementioned two-way potential, is now a popular pick to soon reach All-Star level.

Next. Memphis Grizzlies: Tyler Dorsey Shows Potential Despite Loss to Orlando. dark

You can look at the Memphis Grizzlies. You can look at all other NBA teams. As long as you dig deeper than the top-three on the NBA’s scoring leaders list, you will find players that are being drafted for their defensive potential. Now that Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange have been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, he will have more time on his hands to observe the NBA and some of their top defensive talents plucked from recent NBA Drafts.

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