Here’s why the Grizzlies could have the best defense in the NBA

When you think of Memphis Grizzlies basketball, what comes to mind. For most, it’s the young franchise’s “Grit and Grind” play style, popularized by teams that included some of the toughest players in the NBA. This includes guys like Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, and, perhaps most notably, Marc Gasol.

The team never won an NBA Championship, but they let the NBA know what Memphis Grizzlies basketball is all about with with paint dominance, stingy defense, and a hard-nosed, almost football-like mentality.

This offseason, the modern-day Grizzlies may have taken a step back toward their roots with a couple of key acquisitions.

Offense aside, the Memphis Grizzlies upgraded defensively at the center position in Steven Adams

The initial reaction to the Grizzlies picking up Steven Adams wasn’t a great one. Nobody was outwardly upset, it just seemed odd to swap a proven Grizzlies center in Jonas Valanciunas for a fading defense-first center in Steven Adams. While Valanciunas was capable of stretching the floor, Adams’ presence will only cramp things up. But the conversation about offensive implications is for another day.

Defensively, Adams is a significant upgrade.

In some sense, you can nitpick his game. He’s not very quick and in the pick-and-roll, his game has been worrisome defensively. That said, Jonas Valanciunas was even worse in those two aspects of the game. It’s a wash at worst.

But we saw Valanciunas get bullied defensively against bigger guys. Granted, there weren’t too many bigger players than JV, but a matchup with Rudy Gobert in the NBA Playoffs made it clear that he had a ceiling as a player. Again, Adams edges Valanciunas in that aspect, as there may not be a tougher player in the league.

Adams’ stats are modest, but his 13.9 points per game and 9+ rebounds per game when he’s playing over 30 minutes per contest speak for themselves. Defensively, he averaged a block and 1.4 steals during that same stretch of time.

But Adams isn’t the only upgrade defensively.

The Grizzlies also brought on Kris Dunn as a potential fill-in at the backup point guard spot for the inevitable departure of Tyus Jones.

Dunn may be somewhat of a dud offensively, but he’s one of the best defensive point guards in the league with a 6’9″ wingspan. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes noted Dunn as a player who could help vault the Grizzlies offense in the top five of the league. Here’s what he said.

"Memphis finished seventh in defensive efficiency last season, and it has since added Kris Dunn and Steven Adams to the mix. Both come with concerns: Dunn isn’t of much use on offense, while Adams doesn’t space the floor. But the former is a shutdown monster when healthy, and the latter is a granite block of intimidation in the middle."

Along with being the 7th-best team in the league in terms of defensive efficiency, the Grizzlies also led the NBA in steals. A very similar Memphis unit with a pair of defensive upgrades can only improve.

It’s hard to see a world where the Grizzlies don’t sneak into the top five in the league in terms of defensive efficiency. At the very least, this Grizz team will be the toughest in the league.