Trip. JJJ. The Block Panther. He is known by many names, but no matter what you call him, Jaren Jackson Jr has clearly left his defensive mark on the game this season.
We’ve all been thinking about it, but now it is official: Jaren Jackson Jr has been named 2022-23 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He is the second Grizzlies player in franchise history to receive this award, the first being Marc Gasol, who won it in 2012-13.
It was obvious to anyone that paid attention to the regular season that this award belonged to Jackson, and I would argue he should have been in the running last season as well. Regardless, he’s here now and we love to see it.
This announcement is welcome news for Grizz Nation, after a disappointing loss to the Lakers Sunday afternoon in which Ja Morant sustained a serious-looking injury.
From Grizzlies PR:
Jackson Jr. led the NBA in blocks per game (3.0) and block percentage (9.6) for the second consecutive season and tied for second in total blocks (189). He surpassed his own single-season franchise records in all three categories while also establishing career bests with 18.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Behind Jackson Jr., Memphis led the Western Conference and ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating (110.7) and held opponents to the lowest field goal percentage (45.3%) and largest field goal percentage difference (-2.2%). Individually, when serving as the primary defender, Jackson Jr. led the NBA in field goal percentage allowed at the rim (46.9% on 454 contests) with a minimum of 20 shots defended.
Jackson Jr. also averaged 1.0 steals per game and led the NBA in combined steals and blocks per game (career-high and franchise-record 4.0). He became one of four players since the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award was instituted in the 1982-83 season to lead his team to a Top 5 defensive rating while also averaging at least 1.0 steals and 3.0 blocks, joining Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Ben Wallace.
Congratulations, Jaren!
