Memphis Grizzlies: Pros and cons of having Steven Adams instead of JV

The Memphis Grizzlies should improve drastically on the defensive side of the ball

You’re probably worn thin emotionally after reading that last slide. Don’t worry — there are actually quite a few pros associated with swapping Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams.

For starters, Adams is an elite defensive big man. While Valanciunas was a strong offensive player, we saw him get bullied by a few players, including Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert. With Adams, that won’t happen — at least not to the same degree.

Adams is arguably the strongest player in the league and he plays smart on the defensive side of the ball. In his best years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Aquaman averaged 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, a unique stat line for a player his size. This is due to his elite positioning on the defensive side of the ball. While JV got lost at times, we shouldn’t see any more of that with Adams.

Adams is also one of the better perimeter defenders at the center position in the league. Time and time again, opposing teams attempted to get a mismatch on a switch with Adams, only to have the shot clock run low and force up a bad shot. Adams is long enough and smart enough to stay disciplined, even when he’s put in tricky situations.