The Memphis Grizzlies are historically a strong team on the defensive side of the ball. They have a short history, but some of the best players to wear a Grizzlies uniform have been All-NBA defenders.
You don’t have to go too far back to find some of the league’s best rim protectors, pickpockets, and perimeter defenders.
One example of this is Tony Allen, a guy who was known to have little-to-no impact on the offensive end of the court, but such a strong presence on defense that it didn’t matter. His stats don’t tell the full story, but he averaged close to 2 steals per game during his time on Beale Street.
This was good enough to earn him 3 NBA All-Defensive First Team honors and 2 NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors during his time with the Grizz.
Memphis Grizzlies Justise Winslow picked up where Tony Allen left off
Though Allen and Justise Winslow never played together, they are extremely similar players out on the court. You could make the argument that Winslow picked up the torch that Allen left behind.
Winslow’s offense could use a bit of work. He dropped 20 points before the All-Star break, but clearly has a ton of room for improvement as an offensive player.
Defensively though, his impact cannot be understated. Without Jaren Jackson Jr., this team was struggling defensively. They weren’t the worst team in the league, but as a Grizzlies fan, anything less than the best is hard to watch.
Winslow immediately came in and patched any glaring holes that we saw on this defensive unit. Before his arrival to the lineup, how many open threes did we see opposing teams take? It was almost like the Grizzlies’ game plan was to dare other teams to shoot.
They’re far and few now. His defensive presence has been felt on the stat sheet too, as he has only gone a single game in Memphis without at least one block or steal.
Not only that, but Winslow has also been giving this team a huge boost while Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas are off the floor.
One might expect his +/- stats to suffer because of where he stands in the rotation, but he has excelled with the second unit on the floor. In fact, the second unit has been what’s keeping this Grizzlies team afloat in many games, and he looks like a leader out there.
If you take out his first game in a 31-point loss, he’s at a total +/- of +39 on the year, averaging around +5 on the season. Without having developed an offensive game yet, this is a hugely encouraging stat.
Hopefully, he’ll put it together and become a great all around player, but even if he doesn’t, he could be another Tony Allen for the Memphis Grizzlies.