Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return will give the Memphis Grizzlies a top 5 front court

The Memphis Grizzlies’ defense will be terrifying with JJJ back

We’re going to instantly feel some changes on the defensive end for the Grizzlies upon Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return. As things stand, the Grizzlies don’t stick out on the stat sheet in many categories. They’re a relatively average defense.

That said, they can be extremely feisty. They may not hold teams to low scoring totals, but they’re able to generate turnovers more than anybody else in the league, as shown by their 9.8 steals per game. This puts them at first in the league in steals.

That said, Jackson Jr. is going to return to this team and make some big changes. For starters, expect to see significantly fewer 3-point shots go in for opposing teams. Teams have been able to easily penetrate a defense with Jonas Valanciunas as the only pure big man and dish the ball out for easy 3-pointers when the defense closes out.

You can also expect this defense to generate more blocks than they have in recent memory. JJJ is one of the best shot blockers in the league, so if he can stay out of foul trouble, there shouldn’t be many shots going in near the painted area.

Jackson Jr. will be blocking shots and Jonas Valanciunas will be rebounding everything in sight. It won’t be easy for opposing teams to retain possession, so they’ll have to play perfect offensive games against Memphis.

But that’s not the only area that will improve for Memphis.