The Memphis Grizzlies (44-29) are trying to find a new identity with less than a month to go until the playoffs start. Hours after firing head coach Taylor Jenkins, the organization is parting ways with assistants Noah LaRoche and Patrick St. Andrews, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Shams Charania.
Considering that general manager Zach Kleiman dismissed Jenkins this late in the regular season, one might have assumed that he would prefer to maintain some continuity among the coaching staff. Though, perhaps this is management’s way of saying that a complete alteration is urgently needed.
While there is certainly reason to be concerned about the Grizzlies’ prospects for postseason success– Ja Morant continues to battle injuries and the Western Conference is deep as usual– late-March is an odd time to take drastic action. These most recent forced departures only add further confusion to the situation.
What is the Grizzlies’ short-term plan?
LaRoche was one of several additions to the staff last offseason. He specifically played an active role in orchestrating Memphis’ new offensive scheme, which was designed to improve its efficiency. As it stands, the Grizzlies own the seventh-best field goal percentage in the NBA (48.0), rank 11th in 3-point shooting percentage (36.8) and average the second-most points per contest (122.1). Keep in mind, they have done this with point guard Ja Morant playing only 43 games this season.
Since the two-time All-Star is injury-prone, perhaps Kleiman’s intention is to reshape the offense– something that might not have sat well with Jenkins. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo could have a completely different vision than the one Jenkins sought to formulate during his six-year tenure as head coach.
But why fire individuals like LaRoche who were brought in to fix things in the first place? The Grizzlies seem to be experimenting with multiple philosophies across a relatively short period of time, hoping that they will eventually find a game plan that maximizes the roster’s ample potential.
The locker room has an extremely demanding 24 hours ahead of itself, as it tries to quickly adjust to Friday’s exits and get ready for Saturday’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite being tied with LA for the fourth-best record in the West, desperation is oozing throughout FedExForum. Will it lead to a momentous turnaround, or is the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign bound to burst into flames?
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