It caught the Grizzlies players off guard, too.
Nobody expected Memphis to fire coach Taylor Jenkins with just a few weeks left in the regular season — the team had slipped in recent months but was still 15 games over .500 and tied for fourth in the West at the time. It put interim coach Tuomas Iisalo in a difficult position, with little time to make real changes and three tough games coming up against the Lakers (a Grizzlies loss), Celtics and Warriors. After the Lakers loss, Ja Morant was asked about the coaching change (quote via William Guillory of The Athletic).
“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 loss. “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.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. was also asked about it, quote via Wendell Shepherd Jr. of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“That’s my dog. That will forever be my dog,” Jackson Jr. said. “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.”
Desmond Bane said the players held a meeting after the firing to help clear the air and process what happened, with quotes via The Athletic.
“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,” Desmond Bane said. “I told them we have a really talented group and we can still do some special things. (Interim head coach) Tuomas (Iisalo) 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.”
If the Grizzlies are going to do special things, they need to get their defense right, something Iisalo owned after the Lakers loss. He added that he wants the team to play faster, and he wanted more Morant pick-and-rolls in the half court. Memphis needs all of that to come together fast and lead to wins, or the current No. 5 seed could slide back into the play-in.
