The expectation this week was that the Memphis Grizzlies would seek out the best available coach to fill Taylor Jenkins’s position after he was surprisingly fired last week. However, a new report claims they will go with a budget friendly approach when it comes to the head coach position.
There have been a few big surprises during the 2024-25 NBA season. The Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers have been stunning disappointments and could both miss the playoffs despite rosters filled with expensive legends. The Dallas Mavericks trading superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers was one of the biggest shocks in league history.
The latest news that caught NBA fans and analysts off guard was the Memphis Grizzlies firing head coach Taylor Jenkins just a couple of weeks before the playoffs. The 44-30 team won’t compete for a championship this spring. But they have a legitimate top 10 player — Ja Morant — and some really nice pieces like two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr.
Being Memphis’s next head coach is one many candidates would covet. Yet, it seems that the Grizzlies are unlikely to conduct a search and will keep things in-house to save money.
Tuomas Iisalo to keep Memphis Grizzlies head coach job after this season?
In a new column looking at why the Grizzlies fired Jenkins last week, The Athletic NBA insider Zach Harper asked if “interim coach Tuomas Iisalo is going to be the answer moving forward?” Well, it seems that money will be a deciding factor in why the assistant coach they hired last summer to implement a new offense will be Jenkins’s successor.
“The writing on the wall suggests so, but nothing is official. Memphis paid a lot of money to bring him over from Paris to be an assistant. He’s a legendary offensive coach there, and this feels like a big audition.”
Zach Harper
Proven veterans like Monty Williams and Frank Vogel or elite assistants Sam Cassell and Micah Nori will be available this summer. But it seems like the Grizzlies won’t be talking to them.
