The Golden State Warriors averaged a league-high 110.0 points per game with MVP Stephen Curry leading the way on their NBA championship run last season. So offense runs the show in the NBA, right? It may look like that but remember, the Warriors were one of the better defensive teams in the league too, leading the league in opponent field goal percentage.
While we mostly focus on offense in terms of basketball fantasy, knowing the defensive opponents is key for nightly matchups and daily fantasy scoring.
Here were the four best in terms of points per game from last year who will be looking to keep form heading into the new season:
Utah Jazz
The Jazz led the NBA with an average of 94.9 points per game allowed last season and that number is even more impressive when you consider how their young roster came together and consistently improved over the course of the year.
Utah still wasn’t great as a team thanks in big part to inexperience and the fact that they averaged just 95.1 points per game but the emergence of 23-year-old center Rudy Gobert was special as he and Derrick Favors finished the year with a combined average of just under four blocks per game.
Remember that Gobert only started 37 games and mostly came on after the All-Star break once the team shipped off starter Enes Kanter.
The Jazz might still be at least a year away from contending for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference but they have assembled some quality young pieces. If they do make a push in 2015-16, their defense will be one of the biggest reasons why.
Memphis Grizzlies
Defense has been the calling card of a Memphis team that has been able to put one of the best big-man tandems in the NBA out on the floor every single year. With Marc Gasol re-signed playing side-by-side with Zach Randolph, that won’t change this year.
Mike Conley and Tony Allen are both recognized as defensive specialists as well. As a result, only Utah allowed fewer points per game than the Grizzlies did last season when they gave up just 95.1 per game. Memphis will once again be considered a true contender in the Western Conference this season and if they can find a way to add a little offense without sacrificing their level of play at the defensive end, this could be the year they emerge as a championship team.
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San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs will certainly have something to say about the Grizzlies’ chances of emerging from the Western Conference after adding LaMarcus Aldridge and David West to an already loaded veteran roster this past summer. That is exactly the type of young, athletic upgrade they needed in their offseason reload. San Antonio ranked third in the NBA with an average of 97.0 points per game allowed last season and their 103.2 points per game was the best scoring average of any team ranked in the top 12 in points allowed.
The Spurs have played at a dominant level defensively and the addition of a couple of key pieces in Aldridge and West have them among the favorites to win it all this once again this season.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana’s 97.0 points per game allowed actually tied the Spurs’ mark for third in the NBA but like the Jazz, they just didn’t score enough points to contend for a playoff spot with only 97.3 points per game.
The fact that they play in the Eastern Conference somewhat skews the numbers but the Pacers did an excellent job defensively even with Paul George sidelined with a broken leg for the majority of the season. George returns to the lineup this year but Indiana lost both West and Roy Hibbert, and their plan is to play at a faster pace. Of anyone on this list, they are the least likely to carry over their defensive performance through to next season given the changes.
