Does Jaren Jackson Jr. Close Out Shooters Effectively Under Pressure?
When assessing the defensive capabilities of an NBA player, one vital question comes to the fore: does Jaren Jackson Jr. effectively close out shooters when the heat is on? Closing out on shooters is what makes a team’s defensive strategy either work or fail. A good defensive player can make a shot difficult and, in doing so, ensure that the other team doesn’t make as many points as it should. This post looks at Jackson’s defensive stats, his closing style, and some for instances in which he has performed well under (defensive) pressure.
Understanding Jaren Jackson Jr.’s Defensive Impact
Jaren Jackson Jr. has set up camp as one of the top-tier defensive players in the league. His talent for reading the game allows him to take sharp actions during the most decisive moments. For one, he swatted away shots at an average of 3.0 per game last season, which ranked him among the league’s best shot-blockers. What’s more: His defensive win shares (DWS) stood at an admirable and impressive 5.4. DWS attempts to measure how much a player’s defense has helped—or hurt—their team. And by this metric, Jackson was one of the main reasons the Grizzlies held opponents to a low scoring average.
What the numbers show is that his defense isn’t just limited to the paint. Last season (2022), Jackson was awesome, holding opponents to a shooting percentage of just 30.2% from three-point territory. And that, my friends, is an indicator that he was doing an exceptional job of contesting shots.
Does Jaren Jackson Jr. Close Out Shooters Effectively Under Pressure?
To ascertain how effectively Jaren Jackson Jr. closes out on shooters when the moment demands it, one must look deeply into the particular scenarios of recent games. Jackson uses a variety of techniques, along with his unique skill set and body type, to contend with the high-pressure demands of closing out on a three-point shooter. In the last couple of years, Jackson has often found himself matched up against elite long-range bombers. During the 2022 NBA playoffs, for instance, he went head-to-head against two of the fastest and most accurate shooters in the game: Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
In games where he closed them out effectively, Jackson altered shooting angles, resulting in multiple misses. With length that can be intimidating, he is a formidable presence on the perimeter. His average closing speed is a mesmerizing 3.4 feet per second, allowing for swift ground coverage and contesting of looks in real time. We’ve also seen Jackson chase ball handlers through screens—not something you typically put in the scouting report for a big—so suffice it to say that he puts forth a (ridiculously) effortful 1.06 season-long defensive win share.
Statistics That Support Jackson’s Effectiveness
Jackson’s numbers demonstrate how good he is at defense. For one, he has a defensive rating of 100.5, which means he is efficient at guarding the kinds of people who are trying to score. More than that, though, advanced metrics like player tracking data show that when Jackson is the main guy guarding a shooter, that shooter only hits 42.6% of the time. High-pressure situations? They are not high for Jackson. Indeed, he is just as efficient in those moments as he is when guarding in non-high-pressure contexts.
In the final five minutes of close games, Jackson is a dependable defender. His block percentage ramps up to 10.3% during these high-stakes moments. Equally impressive is his contest rate, which measures how frequently a defender challenges a shot. In these nail-biting stretches, Jackson contests 79% of the shots taken against him. If anything, he’s even better than usual at closing out shooters under pressure.
The Mechanics of Closing Out
Several key factors comprise Jackson’s methodology in closing out shooters:
- Quick footwork enables him to weave around screens and maintain balance when closing out.
- Arm Placement: He stretches out his arms to make an even bigger barrier, rendering it nearly impossible for the shooters to get clean looks.
- Composure Under Pressure: Jackson controls his game and his body, amply demonstrating that one’s physique can be an asset in certain defensive situations without being a liability in others.
In addition, Jackson uses a method called “breaking down.” This means he anticipates the movement of the player with the ball and adjusts his own movement accordingly. When studying opponents, he fine-tunes his defensive positioning. Even so, Jackson has his work cut out for him.
Areas for Improvement
Jackson is certainly effective, but he’s not without faults. One significant weakness is decision-making in fast-break situations. Sometimes he might just be a bit too eager to close out, which can lead to some not-so-fun drives to the rim. And then there’s the matter of energy. Jackson can run with the best of them, but maintaining that high level of intensity over a full-length game—and particularly during long, uninterrupted stretches of play—can be a real challenge.
Moreover, Jackson occasionally has difficulty with clever ball handlers who can take advantage of his eager closing. For example, a player like Kyrie Irving can change speeds suddenly, which makes Jackson look as if he’s been a little too aggressive and, as a result, off-balance. These offseason training tightrope walk drills place emphasis on Jackson’s need to develop more balance in his defense.
Conclusion: A Vital Asset for Defensive Strategies
To conclude, how effectively does Jaren Jackson Jr. close out shooters when the heat is on? The 2021-22 NBA Defensive Player of the Year holds a strong case for answering that question in the affirmative. The 6’11” Jackson blends length and speed seamlessly to make him one of the most effective and versatile shot blockers in the league. More than anything, though, it’s his game awareness mixed with a still-improving skill set that makes him a close-out artist that offenses really have to pay attention to. And every time down the floor, teams facing the Grizzlies have to reckon with that fact.
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