3 areas the Grizzlies need to improve to be competitive

The Grizzlies’ 3-point defense has been forgettable in recent games

The main question in regards to the Grizzlies’ 3-point defense in the past couple of games is “how?” The Grizzlies were never the strongest team when it comes to defending the 3-pointer, but how did things get this bad?

I can’t remember the last time I saw any basketball team allow as many wide-open shots as this team has in the past few games. The Pelicans made 19 threes, shooting 50% by the end of the game. The Suns made 24 3-pointers, shooting 52% from beyond the arch and setting a new franchise record.

Thankfully, the Mavericks had an off night from the field against Memphis, but still had plenty of wide-open opportunities to take. They still made 15 threes, a number that most teams would be unhappy with defensively. Somehow though, it felt like Taylor Jenkins’ squad was lucky to see under 20 of these shots hit the bottom of the net.

If this team wants to win, they absolutely have to improve their 3-point defense. They currently rank 27th in 3-point percentage against and don’t seem to be improving. This will likely be a point of emphasis, as the Grizzlies will be facing the best 3-point shooting team in the league in back-to-back games this week.