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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Marcus Smart sees no reason why the Memphis Grizzlies can't be the NBA's best defensive team this season. It's not just bold talk from a brash player. Smart knows exactly why the Grizzlies traded for him in June. Memphis ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating last season behind the play of Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. Smart won that same award in 2022. That makes Memphis the first NBA team to pair back-to-back defensive players of the year since the award started in 1983. It has Smart marveling at the possibilities of playing with Jackson and the defensive-minded Grizzlies.
