Is Ja Morant the Best Defender in the NBA After Giannis Antetokounmpo? NBA Twitter Comes Up With a Mind-boggling Statistic

Akash Murty | 22/02/2023
Is Ja Morant the Best Defender in the NBA After Giannis Antetokounmpo? NBA Twitter Comes Up With a Mind-boggling Statistic

Grizzlies fans, or NBA fans in general for that matter, might look at Jaren Jackson Jr. or Dillon Brooks as the best defenders on the team. Some might consider Steven Adams to be the anchor of the defense, after all, him going down with an injury has them in shambles. However, Ja Morant himself hasn’t been bad defensively either.

In fact, a statistical analysis shows the 2x All-Star point guard might be the best defensive guard in the NBA. What’s more interesting is he might just be trailing Giannis Antetokounmpo as the best defender. Don’t believe it? Let’s drill down.

Also read: Maybe Next Year!”: Zion Williamson and Ja Morant Reveal Their Future Slam Dunk Contest Plans

Ja Morant has a tremendous record when players shoot against him 1-on-1

Nobody thinks of defense when they talk about Ja Morant, do they? It’s mostly about his high-flying poster dunks, or it’s something he said to the opposition or celebrities sitting courtside.

However, now we might have to talk about his two-way ability as well. As surprising as it sounds, the Grizzlies’ top scorer is also one of its best on-ball defenders, according to this statistic by NBA Muse.

To put things in perspective, Brooks has a Defensive rating of 113.8, Bane has 111.7, JJJ has 103, and Ja has 111.6. Not bad, huh?

Maybe, it has something to do with Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane having to deal with the opposition’s best and second guards. Or perhaps, point guards and two guards, converting a lower amount of their shots in general than the bigs might be the reason.

Anyway, the Grizzlies would like him to improve on defense in any way he can, if he is able to work more on his off-the-ball defense, this team would be difficult to deal with.

Also read: “My Confidence Will Never Change”: Ja Morant Refuses To Take Back “Fine in the West” Comments

How good are Grizzlies for the Playoffs?

While having the seventh-best offensive rating, the Memphis team was the #1 defensive team in the league before Adams’ injury. Now they are 6th with their DRTG at 109.8.

They have slid down to 6th best record in the league from 3rd best in that period but have the determination to be better without the Big Kiwi, who is also their top rebounder.

When he gets back, they will surely be good. But seeing how much they played him in the 2022 Play-offs, they surely will need the plan to play with and without him in the best way possible.

Also read: Who is Ja Morant’s Baby Mama? Is He Still Dating the Mother of His Daughter in 2023?

 

 

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Giannis Antetokounmpo Ja Morant

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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