In an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown prior to Wednesday’s game against Brooklyn (video link), Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. said he believes he should win the Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Jackson leads the league in blocked shots per game with 2.2; he also averages 1.0 SPG and 5.9 RPG in 27.3 MPG.
“Of course I think I’m Defensive Player of the Year,” Jackson said. “I just think what I’m able to do, I mean the blocks are cool, but you get blocks from contesting shots. I’m able to do a lot more than most people who get a lot of blocks. I’m able to switch out on guards, I’m able to talk.
“You’ve gotta be a quarterback on defense and I think that’s what people miss. It’s a mind game. You’re really playing chess. I think Draymond [Green] might have said that one time, you’re playing chess with the offensive team coming down. So, I’m just able to read and I’m able to use my length to my advantage when I can.”
After appearing in just 11 games last season as he recovered from a torn meniscus, Jackson has played a career-high 72 contests to this point, only missing one game for the 50-23 Grizzlies.
Here’s more from Memphis:
- With his fifth three-pointer in Wednesday’s 132-120 win over the Nets, Desmond Bane broke Mike Miller‘s single-season franchise record for threes made, the team announced (via Twitter). Bane finished the game 8-of-17 from the field, including 6-of-10 from deep, for a total of 23 points. He also chipped in four rebounds, five assists, a steal, and was plus-20 in 32 minutes of action. Bane has now converted 204 three-pointers this season.
- The Grizzlies are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild, according to Tim MacMahon and Kevin Pelton of ESPN. Many expected the Grizzlies to be in the mix for the play-in tournament again after making their way to the No. 8 seed last season, but they’ve made a major leap and currently hold the second-best record in the NBA, only trailing the 59-14 Suns.
- Nets star Kevin Durant thinks Ja Morant is bound for Springfield (Massachusetts) when his career is finished, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “When you got a future Hall of Famer at the head of the snake, it just makes everybody better,” Durant said on Monday. “He’s a combination of players, I feel. I think the greatest players in our game can transform into anybody at any given point. And I think Ja’s on the way to that. When he’s playing, I see like two or three, four different Hall of Famers in his game. From [Allen] Iverson, to he might make a [Michael] Jordan-like layup, or he might run down the court like a [Russell] Westbrook or a [Derrick Rose].”
- In case you missed it, Morant underwent an MRI and X-ray on his sore right knee on Wednesday.
In the event of a draft will basketball be cancelled
link to twitter.com
Morant and Westbrook have been mentioned
Sillivan has commented
Another player that blows his trumpet about DPOY, they are coming from under rocks just now…SMH!
Has this lobbying for individual awards always happened in the NBA? Seems a relatively recent thing.
Anyone aware of any criteria in existence for judging each award, or is it all based on media hype, taking turns and social media followers?
Take DPOTY for example. Gobert is a two time winner but the eye-test doesn’t really suggest he’s especially effective defensively other than the couple of blocks.
The advanced stats may tell a different story but then should advanced stats decide each award? If so there is no debate – Jokic should repeat as MVP.
MY eye-test has Thybulle up there as a creative, relentless and very effective candidate but then the Sixers’ record isn’t anything special and I’m not sure he’s logged enough minutes or starts.
Anyone with any information?
Joking is another overrated player. He takes a lot of shots, scores, and fills the boxscores with pretty stats. He is a mediocre 3pt shooter despite his percentage. Like Morant and DeRozan, he doesn’t shoot a lot of 3s. IMO, Tatum should be MVP. The Celtics are tearing apart the NBA and he is leading the way. He’s still young and has worked hard on his game to become a better 3pt shooter, better passer, and a better defender. As a Celtics fan, I’m remain skeptical about their chances of reaching the Finals. They will only go as far as their shooting takes them. In the modern NBA, the 3pt shot is king. Tatum is the only Dukie that’s avoided the so-called Duke Curse. Why, he’s the only one who can shoot.
I wasn’t trying to be clever. I meant to type Jokic. Stupid auto correct.
Kyrie Irving is light years better shooter than JT… but sure it doesn’t fit your narrative, right?
BTW JT is a very good player… Jokic is the best player in the league by a landslide… so there is no world in which you can even compare them, just doesn’t exist, dude, right?
Such a bad take lol. Tatum taking 3.4 shots more per game for less than a point more game.
Celts were mediocre for 2 months, their defense has been great that’s why they are winning.
Jokic is the reason the nuggets are even good enough to be in a play in game let alone easily in the playoffs.
The Grizzlies are already a smart team. If they want to become brilliant, they should trade Morant for a great shooting PG. Morant is a weak 3pt shooter and his style of play will lead to a shortened career. As for Durant, the players he mentioned, combined, have zero rings. I find it funny since he chased for his.
So who would you trade him for? Apart from Dame being in trade rumors, it’s not like there are a lot of teams wanting to get rid of great shooting PGs.
As for Durant’s comments, pretty sure MJ has 6 rings.
I forgot about MJ, but he played in the 1990s. Moreover, to mention him in the same sentence as the players I focused on in my previous post, is just plain silly.
To answer your rhetorical question, you have to look at who’s available at the right time. Off the top of my head, Haliburton and Poole come to mind. In another post, I mentioned the Grizzlies early season 11 game win streak in Morant’s absence. Ironically, Jordan Poole is emerging as the best player from the 2019 draft. He was my first choice for the Celtics. I’ll never forgive Danny Ainge for taking Romeo Langford instead. He was a non shooter at Indiana and wouldn’t have been on my board.
Poole will never be the best player of the 2019 draft as a matter of fact, he is only a shooter, you gotta do a lot more to be great!
I agree they did have a good stretch when he was out, but not sure if that would be sustainable over a full 82.
I don’t think trading Ja for Poole would make them better, unless they were able to get Moody or Kuminga as well to replace some of their upcoming FAs. As El Don stated Poole is more of a shooter, and you gotta have more than that to be a great starting PG. While Poole has been good he also had the luxury of coming into a great system and being eased into action as well. He is definitely not the best player in that draft, at least not right now with guys like Ja & Garland among others that are better. You could consider him the best VALUE in the draft, though he’d be competing with Terance Mann & Keldon Johnson for that IMO.
As for your suggestion of Haliburton, I doubt Sacramento would’ve traded him for another guard. They clearly wanted a big to go along with their young guards of Fox, Mitchell, & DiVincenzo (and even had Hield at the time of trade too).