The NBA never ceases to impress. Just when everyone had turned their eyes away from the professionals and shifted focus onto college basketball instead, the league dropped another bomb to recapture the news cycle.
Out of nowhere, the Memphis Grizzlies announced today that they had fired former Head Coach Taylor Jenkins. This came after Jenkins led the Grizz to a 44-29 record this season and had them in the playoffs three out of the five years before this one. That's including 2023-24, when superstar point guard Ja Morant played just nine games.
Overall, Jenkins will be leaving Memphis with a total record of 250-214. When Ja was healthy and spearheading the offense, though, the Grizzlies went 176-124 with Jenkins on the sidelines.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of crucial decisions to make about their future after such a disastrous season marred by injuries. Something that they'll have to introspect about is the future of Head Coach Willie Green. Usually, after a campaign like this one, someone has to be made the scapegoat, even if it's due to something uncontrollable like injuries, and the coach is usually the first to go in a regime. If the Pelicans don't have Willie Green in their long-term plans, though, they need to make that decision now.
Pelicans need to act quickly, lest they lose out on Taylor Jenkins
As soon as Taylor Jenkins's paperwork was processed by the Grizzlies organization and the NBA, he immediately became the best coach available on the open market. There isn't a single other coach out there who can match his blend of youth, energy, innovation, and proven track record.
One of the most impressive facets of his coaching resume is the recent work he's done with Memphis, even though it may have ultimately gotten him fired. This season, the Grizzlies had a very notable shift in philosophy.
Over the past few years, it became clear that Ja Morant isn't the most durable star player in the league. Through six seasons, he's only met the 65-games played mark once, the same amount as Zion Williamson. Rather than hinge all of their success on his health, Jenkins and the Grizz found ways to win without him this year. This season, Memphis has gone 16-14 without Morant. Even when Ja is available, it was clear that he was no longer the Sun in the Grizzlies' solar system, which has led to him averaging a career low in minutes and putting up the least points and field-goal attempts per game since his sophomore season.
While this was likely a turn-off for Ja Morant and his camp, and may have ultimately led to Jenkins's demise, it's exactly what the Pelicans could use on their bench. Now, I'm not explicitly advocating for Willie Green to be fired and replaced by Jenkins. I'm just saying that if New Orleans doesn't have Green in its long-term plans, they may as well cut bait with him now and hire Jenkins while he's still available. If they wait until the summer to part ways with Green, they could lose out on Jenkins for no reason.