3 key numbers for the Memphis Grizzlies’ Cinderella season thus far

Memphis Grizzlies key number: 56.2 points in the paint per game

Placing this at number one may seem controversial, but this number is the reason that the Grizzlies find themselves as the league’s overachieving team this year. The number tells you just what type of team this is.

Throughout the list of key numbers for this Grizzlies team, one single number stands above them all. That number is 56.2 points in the paint per game.

Putting this ahead of steals and assists may seem ridiculous, but give me a second to explain myself before you jump ship.

40 years ago, the points in the paint leader of the NBA would probably be a team that is in contention for the NBA Finals. Today, that number doesn’t hold the weight that it once did. That said, it is extremely important for this Grizzlies team. Here’s why.

The Grizzlies have found a way to bring old-school basketball to the NBA and make it work. So many of their shots come from in the paint, whether it be a Morant drive, Valanciunas hook shot, or a Clarke floater. And while this isn’t common in the league anymore, it may be the reason that opposing teams can’t defend it.

Think about it — nobody plays like the Grizzlies do anymore. A ton of shots around the basket and very few 3-pointers. Training your players to play that way is normally a one-way ticket out of your position as head coach in the NBA, but Taylor Jenkins has made it work.

The Grizzlies excel at doing this because opposing teams don’t know how to defend it. They don’t have big men who can match JV’s physicality and Ja Morant’s speed and quickness. That’s why Memphis has been eating teams alive down low.

The best part? The Grizzlies have become the league leaders in points in the paint without their highest-scoring big man in Jaren Jackson Jr.