The Memphis Grizzlies (44-29) shocked the NBA world Friday by firing head coach Taylor Jenkins at the tail end of the regular season. According to ESPN, the dismissal marked only the second time in NBA history that a team with a winning record axed a head coach with less than 10 games left.
While the abrupt decision caught analysts and fans off guard, the coaching shakeup was supposedly brewing for months. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Grizzlies front office and Taylor Jenkins were no longer on the same page, and even certain players were unhappy with the longtime coach’s principles, especially on offense.
“The Grizzlies felt that Taylor Jenkins had progressively lost the locker room,” Charania reported on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Friday. “Their play plateaued in the second half of this NBA season, from the perspective of how they played against teams over .500. They had lost nine consecutive games by an average of over 13 points against teams over .500.”
Memphis’ regression on defense best highlights its alarming record against winning teams recently. Jenkins’ team ranked No. 7 on defense pre-All-Star break but has slipped to 19th since the midseason break. In 19 games since the All-Star break, the Grizzlies have had a negative net rating (-0.2) while giving up a whopping 116.4 points per 100 possessions — markers of a mediocre team.
The Grizzlies have named assistant Tuomas Iisalo the interim head coach for the season’s final stretch. According to multiple insiders, Lisalo plans to implement a new offensive philosophy involving fewer pick-and-rolls and more uptempo basketball. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Friday that Jenkins preferred to stick to the traditional route of putting the ball in the hands of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. Still, the Grizzlies’ front office felt the offensive system needed to change, propelling them to replace Jenkins with Lisalo.
Under Lisalo, the new-look Grizzlies will face the Lakers on Saturday in a critical matchup with potential playoff implications. The teams are in a tight battle for the fourth and fifth seeds.
