Grizzlies star explains why Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry are called ‘pigeons’

One of the biggest issues that older NBA fans have with the modern game is that not every superstar is a good defender. Offense has become the name of the game, with teams' average scoring going up exponentially since the 2000s. But pundits and fans aren't the only ones who notice it.

The Grizzlies may not have been able to achieve anything in the postseason, but their defensive identity is very solid. And 20-year-old GG Jackson has shed some insight into how they operate. Namely, the reason behind Steph Curry, Nikola Jokic, and similar stars being guarded a particular way.

GG Jackson says the Grizzlies call the players they target on defense “pigeons” and that their goal is to go after guys like Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, and Isaiah Joe

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"Right, during walkthrough, when we go over the matchups, the very next line is 'pigeons'," Jackson said on Fanduel's Run It Back. "And we'll have whoever the players are for pigeons when we're trying to play the Nuggets. We wanna get Jokic in a lot of ball-screens.

"Who else is a pigeon? For OKC, we gotta get Isaiah Joe. We wanna get him and make him chase over screens... Who else? In the Warriors series, you wanna get Curry in a lot of screens, iso situations like that. It's definitely discussed a lot, if we can get these guys.

This is a bold statement from the Grizzlies youngster, especially naming two of the league's best players in the Joker and Chef Curry. Superstars are always being worked on defense by the other team, but letting these guys know they're called 'pigeons' might not be the best idea.

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