Tuomas Iisalo

Grizzlies Reportedly Interested In T.J. Shorts

May 13th, 2025 at 10:08am CST by Rory Maher

Point guard T.J. Shorts is a free agent after playing a starring role in France the past two seasons with Paris Basketball. The 27-year-old was named MVP of both the LNB Elite — France’s top domestic league — and the EuroCup in 2023/24 and was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team this season after leading Paris to a promotion.

According to Clément Carton of Basket Europe (subscription required; story in French), Shorts has received lucrative offers to remain in the EuroLeague, but the “most likely” outcome is that he will sign with the Grizzlies without playing in Summer League (hat tip to Sportand0).

Shorts has a strong relationship with Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo, Carton notes, having played under Iisalo in both Germany and France. In fact, Shorts said in an interview a couple years ago with Maxime Bodilis of BeBasket.fr that Iisalo was the primary reason he decided to follow the coach from Bonn to Paris.

“We have to go back to last season when he recruited me,” Shorts said about Iisalo (story via BasketNews). “He very quickly gave me his trust and allowed me to be myself on the court. This is the main reason why I followed him here, knowing that Paris would have big ambitions this year and the following one, with the EuroLeague in their sights.”

“He talks to me a lot during meetings and gives me a lot of instructions. And it’s the same off the court. He makes a lot of videos and gives me a lot of advice, even by text. He may also forward articles to me. That’s what he did recently, sending me one on Tyrese Haliburton. Clearly, he tries by all means to help me progress, and that is priceless. He’s a bit like a mentor to me. He has a lot of knowledge, and I try to take advantage of it as much as possible.”

Despite his diminutive stature — he’s listed at 5’9″ and 161 lbs. — Shorts has been highly productive in stints in Latvia, Germany and France. In 33 EuroLeague contests this season with Paris Basketball (27.1 minutes per game), the UC Davis product averaged 18.7 points, a league-best 7.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals, with a shooting slash line of .499/.415/.732.

In that same interview with Bodilis, Shorts said it would be a “dream” to play in the NBA one day. It’s worth noting that Memphis has also shown a willingness to sign small point guards, as Japan’s Yuki Kawamura spent the ’24/25 season on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies.

Latest From Stein, Fischer: Hawks, Iisalo, Suns, Doncic

May 4th, 2025 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks have begun the interviewing process for their next president of basketball operations, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report in their latest rumor round-up at Substack.

The Hawks fired general manager Landry Fields last month and promoted Onsi Saleh to that role, but Atlanta wants to pair him with another top executive.

Sixers GM Elton Brand, former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth and former Kings GM Monte McNair have already undergone initial interviews for the position, apparently via Zoom, per Stein and Fischer.

Former BYU and EuroLeague swingman Travis Hansen and G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim are also on the Hawks’ radar.

Here’s more from Stein and Fischer:

Grizzlies management was so interested in adding Tuomas Iisalo to their coaching staff that they sent multiple executives to France last season to evaluate and ultimately recruit him to Memphis. The Grizzlies gave him a seven-figure salary and also paid a seven-figure buyout last summer to hire him away from Paris Basketball. Iisalo replaced Taylor Jenkins late in the regular season and had the interim tag removed this past week.
Newly hired Suns GM Brian Gregory is expected to conduct the team’s head coaching search, with more than a dozen candidates under consideration. Though Phoenix has strong interest in hiring a coach without previous NBA head coaching experience, there are two candidates who don’t fit that description — Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego and Bucks assistant Dave Joerger. Borrego had a stint as Charlotte’s head coach, while Joerger has been a head coach with Memphis and Sacramento.
Luka Doncic isn’t eligible for an extension until early August but the process has already begun. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick had dinner with Doncic and Doncic’s business manager, Lara Beth Seager, two nights after the Lakers were eliminated. The star guard has one year left on his current deal.

Grizzlies Retain Tuomas Iisalo As Head Coach

May 2nd, 2025 at 2:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tuomas Iisalo, who took over as interim head coach of the Grizzlies when Taylor Jenkins was fired in late March, will keep the job on a permanent basis, the team announced in a press release.

“I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,” team president and general manager of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “Tuomas’ teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.”

Iisalo compiled a 4-5 regular season record followed Jenkins’ surprising dismissal. After finishing as the eighth seed, the Grizzlies lost to Golden State in the first round of the play-in tournament, but advanced to the playoffs with a win over Dallas. They were swept by Oklahoma City in the first round.

Iisalo was in his first season with Memphis after a successful coaching career in Europe and was one of four new assistants hired last summer in a shakeup of Jenkins’ staff.

He led Paris Basketball to the 2023/24 EuroCup championship and was named EuroCup Coach of the year. He also earned 2024 LNB Pro A Coach of the Year honors after taking Paris to the French Leaders Cup title and the French LNB Pro A Finals, and was the 2023 Champions League Coach of the Year with Baskets Bonn in Germany.

Iisalo is the first-ever Finnish-born coach in the NBA. He spent 14 years as a player in Finland and appeared in 57 games for the Finnish national team.

Iisalo is the third interim coach to be hired to a permanent job in the past two days, joining Doug Christie in Sacramento and Mitch Johnson earlier today in San Antonio. Phoenix is currently the only team without a head coach, while David Adelman is on interim status while leading Denver in the playoffs.

Grizzlies Notes: Kleiman, Iisalo, Morant, Jackson Jr., Offseason Preview

April 28th, 2025 at 9:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman didn’t mince words during his end-of-season press conference when he discussed his team’s season.

“Disappointing season,” Kleiman said, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “A lot to sort through here. Forty-eight wins, good for an eight seed, but who cares? It’s not good enough.”

The Grizzlies were swept by the top-seeded Thunder in the first round of the playoffs after earning the No. 8 seed via the play-in tournament. An injury to Ja Morant didn’t help the cause, but Kleiman vowed to improve the roster in order to make the team a high-level contender.

“I don’t think we can look back at this series and this season and say, ‘Oh, we’re close,'” Kleiman said. “No, we’re not close. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Head coach Tuomas Iisalo has publicly expressed a desire to have his interim tag removed. However, Kleiman is still pondering his options regarding Taylor Jenkins’ full-time replacement. “I have not made any decisions on the coaching front at this point,” Kleiman said.
Signing Jaren Jackson Jr. to an extension remains a priority in Memphis. Kleiman believes Morant, Jackson and Desmond Bane can be key pieces to a championship team. “At the peak times of what this group has done, it’s right there and there is so much to hold on to,” he said. “And there’s been so much growth. They’re beginning to enter their prime. I think for each of them, there are significant steps that have been taken in a really positive direction.”
Kleiman should at least consider moving Morant, who has three years on his contract, and Jackson, Will Guillory of The Athletic opines. Morant has only appeared in 59 regular-season games over the last two seasons and his actions continued to be a problem this season, Guillory writes, noting that the guard’s “finger gun” celebrations became a talking point around the league. There were also rumblings about Morant’s role in Jenkins’ firing. As for Jackson, if he makes an All-NBA team this year, he’ll be eligible for a five-year, $345MM super-max extension. That may be too much for a small-market team to swallow.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides insights and opinions regarding the Grizzlies in his video offseason preview (Youtube link).

Tuomas Iisalo Would Like To Become Grizzlies’ Permanent Head Coach

April 26th, 2025 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tuomas Iisalo expressed interest in remaining head coach of the Grizzlies, but he understands that it won’t be his decision to make, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscription required). Iisalo was asked about his future after Memphis’ season ended today with a first-round sweep by Oklahoma City.

“I don’t have any thoughts on that subject,” Iisalo responded. “. . . I tried to do my best in those (games). Those decisions are for somebody else in the future. Do I want to be permanent head coach? Yes, why not.”

Iisalo was selected to run the team on an interim basis following the surprise firing of Taylor Jenkins in late March with nine games left on the schedule. He guided the Grizzlies to a 4-5 record to close out the regular season, then lost to Golden State in the play-in tournament before beating Dallas to earn the No. 8 seed.

Iisalo, 42, coached for nearly a decade in Europe before Memphis hired him last summer to run the offense when the front office restructured Jenkins’ coaching staff by replacing five assistants. General manager Zach Kleiman didn’t indicate whether Iisalo would be a candidate for the job on a permanent basis when he spoke to reporters last month.

There’s more from Memphis:

The Grizzlies still have confidence in Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant to be the foundation of the team, according to Cole, but their lack of postseason success is concerning. Cole points out that they’ve only won a single playoff series in their five years together, and they will continue to get more expensive when Jackson becomes eligible for a contract extension this summer.
Rookie center Zach Edey and third-year point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. were pleasant surprises throughout the season and both had strong playoff performances, Cole adds. Edey emerged as the team’s best rebounder and screen setter, while Pippen scored 28 and 30 points in the final two games against OKC. “I’ve been very encouraged by Zach’s improvement, from the first game on,” Iisalo said. “He felt a little overwhelmed with the tempo and the physicality of the game, but then game-by-game he was improving and (made an) impact in improving on both ends. Scotty in (Game 3), especially (at the) beginning, was tremendous. He’s been doing those things for a while now, and (it’s) especially great to see the consistency.”
Cole doesn’t expect unrestricted free agents Luke Kennard, Marvin Bagley and Lamar Stevens to return next season, but he believes restricted free agent Santi Aldama will be re-signed. Aldama, a 24-year-old power forward, is coming off his best NBA season, averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds in 65 games.

Grizzlies Notes: Defense, Jackson, Iisalo, Aldama, Morant

April 4th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies‘ offense has been under the spotlight since Taylor Jenkins‘ ouster last week due to the massive changes the coaching staff made to its system coming into the season and the steps the team has taken recently to undo some of those changes. However, the Grizzlies’ play on the defensive side of the ball has been a bigger issue during the club’s recent slide, William Guillory of The Athletic wrote this week after the Warriors put up 134 points against Memphis in a Tuesday win.

The Grizzlies performed better defensively in Thursday’s win over Miami, but a unit that had the NBA’s seventh-best defensive rating prior to the All-Star break has still ranked just 20th in the league since then.

Although Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. missed five games during that stretch due to an ankle sprain, the team’s decline in effectiveness on that end of the court can’t be chalked up to being without its top rim protector for a little over a week. Jackson has posted a 115.2 defensive rating during his time on the court since the All-Star break, compared to a 106.4 pre-All-Star mark.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Who exactly is new Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo? In another story for The Athletic, Guillory profiles Jenkins’ replacement, noting that the Finnish assistant was a relative unknown to most NBA fans before his promotion last week. “He’s a really smart guy. No bulls–t,” Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane said. “It’s all about winning and how you get there. Nothing else really matters. He’s not a man of many words if you ain’t talking about basketball.”
The Grizzlies and Santi Aldama didn’t agree to a rookie scale extension prior to the 2024/25 season, but locking up the forward in restricted free agency this summer is reportedly a priority for the front office. Speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Aldama said he wasn’t bothered by putting off contract talks until the 2025 offseason. “Yeah, figure it out later,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to be somewhere where we’re winning and where we’re fighting for the right stuff. I think here, we got a great thing going. We have a great relationship here, so I would love for it to keep that way. I’m just focusing on taking it day by day, getting better day by day. And that stuff will take care of itself.”
In case you missed it, Grizzlies star Ja Morant was fined $75K earlier today for making finger-gun gestures during Thursday’s game in Miami. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explains why the NBA hit Morant with a fine for that gesture even though there are several players around the league who perform similar celebrations.

Grizzlies Rumors: Coaching Change, Morant, Jackson, Aldama, More

April 1st, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

When Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman held a brief media session over the weekend to discuss his decision to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins, he said he believes the coaching change will give the team “clarity of direction.” As Ramona Shelburne, Tim MacMahon and Michael C. Wright write for ESPN.com, that was almost certainly a reference to an offensive system that was overhauled ahead of the season and has continued to undergo changes since then.

Jenkins had been tasked this season with overseeing and blending the competing visions of newcomers Tuomas Iisalo and Noah LaRoche, according to ESPN’s trio, who note that both assistant coaches received seven-figure salaries when they were hired. Memphis also reportedly paid a seven-figure buyout to Paris Basketball in order to secure Iisalo, whose system leaned on pick-and-roll schemes, pacing, offensive rebounding, and transition offense; LaRoche’s system prioritized spacing and relocations while mostly eschewing pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs.

“They were going all-in on these new concepts,” one source told ESPN.

The fact that the Grizzlies were deferring so heavily to a pair of new assistants after overhauling Jenkins’ coaching staff signaled to others in the organization, including the players, that the head coach was on the hot seat entering the season.

“Players aren’t stupid,” another source told ESPN. “They know where this is heading when you fire five assistants after the season.”

The short-term returns on the offensive changes were positive, as the Grizzlies got off to a 35-16 start and led the NBA in scoring, pace, and offensive rebounding while ranking dead last in ball screens per game. However, as Shelburne, MacMahon, and Wright detail, opponents began adjusting to Memphis’ new system and star guard Ja Morant expressed frustration both publicly and privately about the way in which the ball had been taken out of his hands.

The Grizzlies began running significantly more ball screens and handoffs in March, but the decision to move on from both Jenkins and LaRoche suggests the Grizzlies felt there were too many cooks in the kitchen and wanted to give Iisalo – the new interim head coach – the opportunity to simplify the offense this spring.

Addressing the coaching change in an episode of ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast this week (YouTube link), MacMahon stated that the move was about “optimizing” Morant.

“That was a primary motivator for this decision,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “There has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long. There has been noise about, ‘Hey, you know, could Memphis look to move Ja this summer?’ More so, ‘Could Ja look to get out of Memphis this summer? Could Ja look to to force a trade, or at least request a trade? And would Memphis shop him this summer?’ There’s been a lot of that.

“I was texting with a GM after (the coaching change) happened and he said, ‘I would have told you I thought they were definitely going to (shop Morant). Ja was out on them. They won games without him. They have to be sustainable.’ And he said, ‘This is a move that goes in the face of that.’ Basically this is a, ‘Hey Ja, you’re still our guy. Everything we do is going to be based on what’s best for you. What optimizes you.’ They got away from that for a lot of this season and they’re leaning back hard into it.”

Besides the concerns about the offense, there was also a belief in Memphis that Jenkins had lost the locker room and that players – including Morant – were tuning out the team’s longtime head coach, ESPN’s trio reports. One rival Western Conference player told ESPN that the Grizzlies had “lost all of (their) swagger,” while a team source added, “You could just tell no one was on the same page.”

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Kleiman publicly shot down trade speculation involving Morant last month, and the steps the team is taking to “optimize” him show those comments weren’t just lip service. However, there are still doubts around the NBA about whether the star point guard can lead a team to a title, according to Shelburne, MacMahon, and Wright. “Does he sell tickets? Yes,” one rival GM told ESPN. “Is he a top-25 player when healthy? Yes. Can he win multiple series as the best player? No. Not sure most years you can win even one. Plus he is always hurt.”
The Grizzlies are “committed” to extending Jaren Jackson Jr. and re-signing restricted free agent Santi Aldama this offseason, sources tell ESPN.
Within ESPN’s report, Shelburne, MacMahon, and Wright cite sources who say Draymond Green came close to signing with Memphis when he reached free agency in 2023. That isn’t new information, but a source close to Green insists the longtime Warrior wasn’t just using the Grizzlies as leverage, telling ESPN that he came “very” close to ending up in Memphis via a lucrative sign-and-trade deal. As ESPN’s trio details, the Grizzlies believed Green’s “experience, basketball intelligence and toughness” was just what they needed as they lost Dillon Brooks and dealt with the aftermath of Morant’s suspensions for off-court behavior.
After failing to land Green, Memphis added Marcus Smart instead, but that acquisition didn’t work out as planned due in large part to Smart’s recurring injury issues — he was traded away in a salary-dump deal last month. Since missing out on Green and losing Brooks, the club has also attempted to acquire Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith, sources confirm to ESPN, but was unable to land either player.

Grizzlies Players React To ‘Surprising’ Coaching Change

March 30th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Rory Maher

Desmond Bane and the Grizzlies‘ other on-court leaders held a players-only meeting after Saturday’s shootaround to discuss the team’s decision to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins, who was replaced on an interim basis by Tuomas Iisalo, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

The challenge now is finding a way to move forward with the regular season nearly over — Memphis only has eight games remaining on its schedule.

“I just wanted them to get out all their raw emotions. Don’t hold nothing back. Let it all out, and that way we can truly move forward,” Bane said. “I told them we have a really talented group and we can still do some special things. Tuomas is a really smart guy, and we should buy into what he’s trying to do, and then see what we can do these last few games and beyond.”

Star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to action on Saturday against the Lakers after missing the past six games with a hamstring strain, admitted he found the news difficult to digest.

“It’s tough for me. I’ve had Coach Taylor since I got here. Everything I’ve done in a Grizzlies jersey has pretty much been under him,” Morant said after the game. “It’s my first time really experiencing a coach leaving since I’ve been hooping. It was a lot to process. With the timing, it’s just tough. We had to quickly turn the page.”

“That’s my dog. That will forever be my dog,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said of Jenkins, per Wendell Shepherd Jr. of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “It was surprising. It would have been surprising at any point. He had a great impact while he was here. He’s gonna be one of the more sought-after coaches in his journey elsewhere and deservedly so.”

The players realize that their poor results since the All-Star break likely contributed to Jenkins’ dismissal. The Grizzlies have now lost 10 straight games against teams with winning records, Guillory notes, including dropping Saturday’s contest to Los Angeles.

“It’s on us for sure,” Bane said, according to Shepherd. “We’re the five players out there, Coach didn’t shoot one shot. A lot of times, coaches end up taking the fall, but ultimately it’s the players. … I think we all were (shocked). We gotta win basketball games at the end of the day.”

Here are a few more notes on the Grizzlies:

In his first game in 15 days, Morant recorded 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 31 minutes, though he shot just 9-of-23 from the field. After the loss, he discussed the hamstring injury which caused his latest absence, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Obviously being out a stretch, for me, it be tough,” Morant said. “I be wanting to be out there on the floor. … Sometimes you just got to be smart about it. I don’t want too much stuff lingering when it comes time to lock in for good.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, Iisalo acknowledged the challenging situation he’s been put in to close out the season, describing it as a “scramble” to get adjusted, per Guillory. He also said “no big changes are coming” to the team’s on-court approach. As Guillory observes, clearly head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman was looking for a spark to finish out 2024/25, but it’s hard to see how Iisalo’s performance can reasonably be evaluated given the truncated timeline.
Along those same lines, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (subscription required) examines whether the coaching change came too late in the season. Iisalo has an impressive international résumé, but it will be extremely difficult to try and turn the tide of the season with only a couple of weeks left in the regular season. The Grizzlies are currently 44-30, the No. 5 seed in the West, but have gone just 8-12 since the All-Star break and have a pretty tough schedule over their final eight games.

Grizzlies GM Says Coaching Change Was Entirely His Decision

March 29th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

In a brief session with reporters on Saturday, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman accepted sole responsibility for the decision to dismiss head coach Taylor Jenkins, but he didn’t explain why he felt a coaching change was necessary, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Kleiman spoke for less than three minutes during the team’s shootaround (Twitter video link), stating that he didn’t talk with any players before opting to replace Jenkins. It was his first public comment since the move was announced.

“I came to the conclusion that this is in the best interest of the team, and urgency is a core principle of ours, so decided to go on with the move,” Kleiman said. “… The players were not consulted on this decision. This decision is mine and mine only.”

McMenamin notes that hiring Jenkins was one of Kleiman’s first major decisions after being put in charge of the front office in 2019. Jenkins leaves as the winningest coach in franchise history, compiling a 250-214 regular season record, but he had limited success in the playoffs, winning just one series.

The Grizzlies are in the midst of a 9-13 slide after starting the season 35-16 and rising as high as second in the West. They are currently tied with the Lakers at 44-29 and face a difficult schedule the rest of the way as they try to avoid the play-in tournament.

Kleiman opened his remarks by thanking Jenkins for his years of service to the organization and saying that he has a bright future in the NBA, according to Jonah Dylan of The Commercial Appeal.

“Taylor made very significant contributions to this team on the court and off the court during his six years here,” Kleiman said. “Leaves the team in a much better position than when we started. Great person and a great coach, and he’s going to be a great coach in this league for a long time.”

There have been rumors that star guard Ja Morant has been unhappy with changes to the offense that emphasize movement over screens, leading to him playing off the ball more often than in past seasons. Responding to a question about Morant, Kleiman reiterated that the move wasn’t made in response to player complaints, per William Guillory of The Athletic.

“I’m focused on how we operate. I’m responsible for everything. I’m responsible for coaching. I’m responsible for the roster. I’m not trying to absolve myself of anything. I’m excited to see what this team can do the rest of the way,” Kleiman said. “This is the conclusion I came to that this is in the best interest of the team and we push forward with this group.”

Assistant Tuomas Iisalo was named interim coach in the wake of Jenkins’ firing and will guide the team for the first time tonight in a showdown with the Lakers. Kleiman refused to say whether the rest of the season and the playoffs will be an audition for Iisalo to become the permanent coach.

“Looking forward to seeing what he is able to do with this group,” Kleiman said. “There is realistic expectations. There’s not going to be time to install a bunch of things this time of the year. My expectations are clarity of direction, and we’ll see what we can do, we’ll see what we can execute.”

Grizzlies Rumors: Jenkins, Bane, Aldama, Morant, Iisalo, LaRoche

March 29th, 2025 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

Taylor Jenkins‘ dismissal as the Grizzlies‘ head coach on Friday came as a major surprise, especially given the timing and the fact that he was under contract beyond this season. However, the team’s decision to overhaul his coaching staff a year ago was among the first signs that Jenkins’ days in Memphis may be numbered, according to Sam Amick, Fred Katz, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Last July, executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman and his front office unilaterally decided to replace five of Jenkins’ assistants: Blake Ahearn, Brad Jones, Scoonie Penn, Sonia Raman and Vitaly Potapenko. Team and league sources tell The Athletic that Jenkins became emotional during his final exchanges with those outgoing coaches, and while he had consulted with the front office on the new hires, those last interactions with his former assistants set an “uneasy tone” for the 2024/25 season, per Amick, Katz, and Vardon.

That coaching overhaul may have signaled a declining level of organizational support for Jenkins, but the Grizzlies’ inconsistent play in the second half of this season and against playoff teams was the main reason he was let go, according to The Athletic’s reporting.

Memphis has gone just 9-13 since starting the season 35-16 and has lost nine games in a row to teams at or above. 500, with an average margin of defeat of 12.8 points per game in those contests.

The defensive drop-off during the recent slump has been troubling, Amick, Katz, and Vardon say — the Grizzlies have a defensive rating of 116.7 in their last 22 games, 19th in the NBA, after playing at a top-five level for much of the first half, and league sources tell The Athletic that the organization “worried greatly about buy-in.”

Even in the team’s only win for the last two weeks, a Tuesday blowout of the Jazz, Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama had an altercation on the bench, exchanging shoves after Bane called out Aldama’s defensive effort, according to a source who spoke to The Athletic.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

A Memphis offense once built around pick-and-rolls now sets fewer screens than any other NBA team and relies more on “clever cutting and off-ball movement,” according to The Athletic’s reporters, who say that the offensive changes came in large part from the new assistants. Star point guard Ja Morant hasn’t been a huge fan of the changes, since he’s playing off the ball more and seeing fewer pick-and-roll opportunities. “Some days he looks like he’s ready to play, and some days he looks like he doesn’t want to be there … because he hates the offense,” one league source tells The Athletic.
The Athletic’s report credits assistants like Tuomas Iisalo and Noah LaRoche with playing pivotal roles in introducing the new offensive system while noting that Jenkins had recently begun reinstalling some of the screen plays Morant likes to run. It’s unclear, then, what sort of message the front office is sending by firing both Jenkins and LaRoche while elevating Iisalo to the role of interim head coach.
League sources tell The Athletic that Morant was upset about the decision to let go of Ahearn last summer and that he “remained supportive” of Jenkins until his firing on Friday.
The Grizzlies paid an above-market salary – along with a buyout – in order to hire Iisalo away from Paris Basketball in 2024, according to Amick, Katz, and Vardon. Paris reportedly liked Iisalo’s offense so much that the team made it a requirement when seeking his replacement that the new coach wouldn’t be allowed to change the system.
Kleiman put out a statement last month strongly refuting the idea that the Grizzlies would consider trading Morant this summer, but firing the only head coach Morant has ever played for will likely reignite speculation about the guard’s long-term future in Memphis, per Amick, Katz, and Vardon. For what it’s worth, two league executives who spoke to The Athletic questioned how much demand there would be for Morant on the trade market, given his injury history, his past off-court transgressions, and a dip in production this season.

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