After the sudden firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins with only nine games left in the regular season, facts surrounding his exit from the Memphis Grizzlies are emerging.
According to a report from the Athletic, Memphis fired Jenkins to optimize star guard Ja Morant within the team offense. Details of Morant being displeased with the offensive system implemented by Jenkins and new assistant coach Noah LaRoche, who was also fired. As Jenkins tried to mix the old system Morant preferred back in, the team ultimately let him go. The article explains that Jenkins was Morant’s guy.
“Jenkins had begun to reinstall some of the plays Morant likes, a league source said, reimplementing the pick-and-roll and other plays involving screens Morant could use to break free. If doing so angered Kleiman and played a role in Jenkinsâ firing, one could understand, but LaRoche was the driving force behind the Grizzlies going away from ball screens to begin with â and heâs gone too.”
There are a number of factors aside from this that led to his firing. Although Jenkins reinstated parts of the offensive system, the team had gone 9-13 in their last 22 games after starting the season 35-16. Frustration within the locker room and the organization were all contributing to Jenkins’ dismissal. With only eight games left in the regular season, assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo has taken over as head coach.
Though Iisalo will have a small sample size as an interim head coach, the Grizzlies job will be a highly coveted vacancy in the off-season. With Morant, former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., and a deep roster of veterans and high upside rookies, the Grizzlies have a strong enough roster to bring in any head coach of their choosing.
If Memphis fired Jenkins to optimize star guard Ja Morant, doing so this late in the regular season means the time to regroup is limited as the Grizzlies look towards the NBA Playoffs.
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