The Grizzlies just sent a shockwave through the NBA.
Despite being in the thick of the Western Conference playoffs with nine games to go, Memphis fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday in a surprising move.
Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history and fifth-longest tenured coach in the NBA, had guided the Grizzlies to a superb 44-29 record and fifth place in the Western Conference.
In his place, assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo will take over as the interim head coach.
It is not clear why he was relieved of his duties.
“I’m genuinely appreciate of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”
The Grizzlies had faltered a bit in the last twenty games, going 8-12 while ceding the second seed in the West, including losses to Sacramento and Portland to open a road trip that now faces uncertainty with the Clippers, Jazz and Thunder up next.
Star Ja Morant has played in just 43 games this season and regressed slightly, posting a career low field percentage and his worst points per game total since 2020-21.
Jenkins had previously been getting some Coach of the Year buzz, having the fifth best odds to win the award on DraftKings Sportsbook.
After six seasons at the helm, he finished with a 250-214 regular season record with a 9-14 mark in the playoffs.
