Grizzlies Star Reveals Surprising Strategy to Improve Game

Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and he revealed during an NBA Summer League broadcast that he improved his defensive timing by playing NBA 2K.

"You gotta want it a little bit, it takes a lot of endurance to play both ends, especially if you have responsibilities on offense," Jackson said. "You gotta want to stop your defender as bad as he wants to score on you, and that's how I feel. When it comes to timing and stuff, I've always said my timing came from 2K, playing a lot of 2K."

This was a surprising statement from Jackson, because while it's not uncommon for NBA players to enjoy playing 2K, the popular video game translating to actual improvement on the court is not typically heard of. For Jackson, the results speak for themself, because he was last season's Defensive Player of the Year.

Anyone who has played 2K knows that timing is key on the defensive end. In order to avoid fouling while also stopping an opponent from scoring, timing has to be impeccable, which is something that Jackson believes translated into his game on the court. While there are of course challenges at the NBA level that are much different than anything seen in a video game, timing is relatively universal, and it's something Jackson improved through 2K.

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