Grizzlies: History tells us Ja Morant will lead the team in steals in 2021-22

When you think about the best defensive players on the Memphis Grizzlies roster, there are a few names that come to mind. The first is likely Dillon Brooks, who established himself as an elite perimeter defender down the stretch in 2021.

From there, you’d likely explore names like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kyle Anderson, two players who have pesky, long wingspans that make it easy to slip in for a steal or reach up for a block. Even De’Anthony Melton will be considered, as the Grizzlies signed him to a relatively large deal to primarily play defense.

That said, a name that often gets lost in the mix is Ja Morant, who isn’t generally known for his work on the defensive end. Even so, the two-year vet could see a huge uptick in some defensive categories in the upcoming season.

Players with similar playstyles as Grizzlies PG Ja Morant see a huge uptick in steals in their third season

Ja Morant has a unique playstyle as an NBA point guard. For starters, he has a unique athleticism that has only been seen a few times in this league.

As a result, there are only a couple of players who can truly be compared to Morant. For me, the two obvious options are Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook, and Derrick Rose, two extremely athletic players who don’t shoot the ball particularly well.

And despite the fact that these players have nothing particularly in common, their careers have followed similar trajectories. For example, Iverson and Westbrook both saw their 3-point shooting percentages plummet in their second year, similar to Morant.

To take this a step further, there is a clear similarity in the statistics of these very same players. Each player listed saw a distinct jump in their steal numbers in year three. Here’s what each player’s year three increase looked like.

Russell Westbrook: +0.6

Derrick Rose: +0.3

Allen Iverson: +0.1

Even though Iverson and Rose’s number increases weren’t as drastic as Westbrook‘s, they all saw a similar increase. It seems unlikely that Morant is the outlier.

In all likelihood, these players are more settled in offensively, and as a result, can focus more on the defensive end of the ball. This much can be proven by the fact that each of these players also saw a significant bump in scoring output per game.

Hopefully, this holds true with Morant, who scored an impressive 30.2 points per game in the postseason of 2020-21. If Morant manages to see the same uptick in scoring and steals in 2021-22, he should see his first All-Star selection.