Changes needed to be made, and results needed to improve.
After the Memphis Grizzlies limped out of the 2023-24 season, coach Taylor Jenkins’ assistant coaching staff was overhauled, keeping two holdovers. Promotions and outside hires were made. The focus was development, improving a half-court offense that struggled mightily in the playoffs two seasons ago, and getting close to the team’s goal of a championship.
The Grizzlies showed signs of improvement early in the season, but that was when they were playing one of the weaker schedules in the NBA. Once the strength of schedule increased, the flaws became more exposed.
Frustration reached its height after Memphis lost four out of five games on its recent Western road trip. Something had to be done.
On Friday, Jenkins was notified that he had been fired after six seasons.
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Multiple Grizzlies players were “shocked” by the decision, a source told The Commercial Appeal.
Jenkins will end his tenure as the all-time winningest coach in franchise history, surpassing Lionel Hollins in November. Entering Friday, the Grizzlies were the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, with nine games remaining before the postseason.
“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever been around,” former Grizzlies assistant James “Scoonie” Penn said. “Everybody would tell you how smart he is, but he also works really hard. He doesn’t just say, ‘OK, I know everything.’ He is an easy person to work with because he wants the best for everybody. I learned so much from him.”
What went wrong?
The Grizzlies have championship expectations. While that goal always seemed tough to achieve this season, the franchise needed to show it was taking positive steps in that direction.
It already has accomplished being a No. 2 seed twice in the Western Conference under Jenkins, but won just one playoffs series in those two seasons.
As this season went on, the numbers continued to suggest an early playoff exit was in the future. With an 11-20 record against teams above .500., they have the worst winning percentage of the top nine seeds in the West. Those struggles have grown since the All-Star break. Memphis (44-29) has an 8-11 record since then and has dropped from the No. 2 seed to No. 5.
The Grizzlies have the league’s fifth-youngest roster; only the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to make the playoffs with younger groups.
Memphis brought in noted veterans Derrick Rose and Marcus Smart before the 2023-24 season. Rose retired after the season, and Smart was traded this past February after playing in just 19 games due to injuries.
The Grizzlies identified Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. as the next group of leaders, but it was clear the team would have to rely more on even younger players. Center Zach Edey, in particular, was drafted in the first round in 2024 to be a difference-maker with his screening, rim protection and offensive skill set. While Edey has stated that the pick and roll is his “favorite type of offense,” the Grizzlies have decreased their pick-and-roll usage from previous seasons.
When Edey was drafted, general manager Zach Kleiman pointed out how Memphis wanted to be enforcers by punishing teams that played small against the Grizzlies, instead of just subbing out Edey to go small. However, Jenkins’ usage of the 7-foot-4 rookie suggests different. Edey has started in 47 of his 58 games played. He has come off the bench in the past three games.
“Zach (Kleiman) blamed Taylor. Taylor blamed Zach. No one takes accountability for absolutely anything,” a league source told The Commercial Appeal.
Injuries to Morant have hurt the Grizzlies, too. Memphis is 16-14 without him, and 28-15 when he plays.
After a March 5 loss against the Thunder, a clearly frustrated Morant said that he shouldn’t have played. While it’s unclear if the competitive star pushed to play against the NBA’s top team, or if the Gtizzlies made the call, multiple sources have noted Morant’s frustrations this season, with another saying he believes the team was pushing him to play when he wasn’t ready.
A needed shift in X’s and O’s
Jenkins and the organization identified half-court offense as the primary reason for the struggles in recent years. The Grizzlies failed in the playoffs when their fast-break opportunities decreased and the need for late-game execution increased.
Jenkins and Kleiman overhauled the coaching staff this past summer, bringing in new ideas from assistants Tuomas Iisalo and Noah LaRoche, among others. Memphis drastically shifted its offensive approach, leading to a more efficient half-court offense, but one that still wasn’t among the league’s best.
Defense has been the one area Memphis could rely on under Jenkins. However, even that has changed in the past two months. It had a 110.9 defensive rating before the All-Star break. In 19 games since then, the Grizzlies’ defensive rating has jumped to 118.9.
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Locker room instability
A team meeting was held after the Grizzlies lost their third consecutive game on March 3 against the Atlanta Hawks. Defense was the topic after Memphis gave up at least 129 points in four of its previous five games.
Tough conversations were had, and the team made changes to its defensive scheme. Despite those changes, the lack of improvement signaled that Jenkins’ voice wasn’t registering in the same manner to players.
Amid GG Jackson’s frustration with his role after an NBA All-Rookie campaign last season, he was sent to the G League on March 17. An altercation between Bane and Santi Aldama also went viral after the two had to be separated on the bench during a win against the Jazz on March 25.
“You got guys checking out (on Jenkins), and they’re a top five team in the West about to go to the playoffs,” a league source said.
The Grizzlies don’t have much time to turn things around. Iisalo, previously the lead assistant, has been named the interim coach. Memphis will begin a three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
