The Memphis Grizzlies decide to turn down Taylor Jenkins and roll the dice.
Other moves in NBA history do not coincide with the level of shock that Luka Doncic has caused so far. But for the Memphis Grizzlies and their longtime head coach, that’s pretty spectacular in and of itself.
With about two weeks left in the 2024-25 regular season, the franchise made an unexpected move to fire Taylor Jenkins. What’s even more interesting is that the Grizzlies’ continued position as one of the league’s candidates, standing at the fifth seed of the Western Conference with 44 wins.
The man behind Jenkins’s unlikely layoff of the Grizzlies was Zach Clyman.
The young Grizzlies general manager was the head of hiring Jenkins as the team’s next head coach in 2019. He saw how the 40-year-old quickly rebuilds Memphis from one of the NBA’s bests, winning 56 franchise records wins and 56 franchise records wins that met West’s semifinals, where she met West’s semifinals.
Jenkins made a historic milestone when he became the Grizzlies’ best coach of all time (250-214), leading Memphis to his third straight postseason appearance.
But from Kleiman’s point of view, the team now needs an urgent change as the Grizzlies intended to ultimately move on from Jenkins after six seasons.
“It’s focused on how we run,” he said he worked on the shooting ahead of the March 29 showdown with the LA Lakers.
“I’m responsible for everything. I’m responsible for coaching. I’m responsible for the roster.
“I’m not trying to forget anything about myself. I’m excited to see what this team can do for the rest of the matter, but this is the conclusion I came to, and this is what the team has to do with its biggest concern.
Kleiman let the Grizzlies know he never sought the idea of the Grizzlies player before removing Jenkins from his head coaching mission.
“The players were not consulted about this decision,” Kleiman revealed. “This decision is mine, it’s mine.”
In the bounceback season following last year’s rough season, the Grizzlies have struggled recently under Jenkins. They lost 13 of their last 22 games, slowing down momentum to establish their base in the Western rankings.
With Jenkins’ departure, the organization now places the Grizzlies coaching key at Tuomas Iisalo.
Iisalo, 42, joined the Grizzlies last offseason as one of the full-fledged assistant coaching highlings for Jenkins’ team. The Finnish tactician, a well-known European coach, has been the driving force behind the Grizzlies’ overall offense this season.
As he progresses tentatively, what awaits Iisalo is a major challenge with nine games remaining in the regular season to lead the Grizzlies. Nevertheless, Kleiman is totally confident in what Iisalo can bring to the table for the entire ball club led by Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with this group,” Kleiman said of Iisalo.
“There are realistic expectations. We don’t have time to install a lot of things at this time. My expectations are clear direction and I’ll make sure we can do it.
Despite the turn of events regarding Jenkins, the Grizzlies can only use it as an opportunity to push and shock the season.