Three stats where the Memphis Grizzlies are top-10 in the league

The Memphis Grizzlies are having one of their best runs of the season right now, but what are some of the places where they are amongst the NBA elite?

The Memphis Grizzlies are having an unexpectedly great season. With a record of just 16-22, Memphis is just one game out of the eighth seed in the Western Conference, the team is at a turning point in the season where they have to decide whether to make a push for the playoffs, or try to find some more pieces in the draft (though, AJ Salah already covered this wonderfully).

But we’re not here to discuss which road that the Grizzlies should take in the second half of the season (again, read Salah’s articles), instead, our focus is going to be much more fact-based. Because during this run, the Grizzlies have established themselves amongst some of the top teams in the league. That’s what we are going to be looking at today.

The first stat that the Grizzlies rank in the top-10 in is points per game with 112.6. That makes Memphis just one of the four teams in the top-10 that aren’t currently in the playoff picture, and the other three aren’t even close.

But that’s only one area where the Grizzlies excel. Two of the other three team’s who rank in the top-10 in ppg but aren’t in the playoff race have atrocious defenses, but the same can’t be said for Memphis.

The Grizzlies’ defense is one of the best in the league. Memphis has found themselves in the top-10 in the league in both shots contested (second at 67.0 per game) and blocks (10th at 5.3 per game). The suffocating defense has helped the Grizzlies keep their opponents from running up the score too much, which would explain why they’ve been able to hold their own against better teams like the Houston Rockets (0-1, seven point differential), the Brooklyn Nets (1-0, one point differential), and the LA Clippers (1-1, lost by two points, won by 26 points).

Memphis’ tough defense and powerful offense make it hard for them to be run over during games, which keeps the score close as the fourth quarter winds down. However, even when the Grizzlies need a few clutch plays, they are still a tough team to beat. The Grizzlies are 11th in clutch win percentage at .529, but they find themselves in the top-10 in clutch field goal percentage at 43.6%.

The combination for Memphis of a high-scoring offense, a suffocating defense, and keeping a cool head under pressure make them a tough team to beat. Maybe, they might just be able to ride that wave right into the playoffs.