Amid an 0-3 start to his NBA coaching career, Tuomas Iisalo finds himself thrust into the heart of an all shook up Memphis Grizzlies locker room grappling with the sting of defeat and the weight of a franchise-altering decision. With just six games remaining in the regular season, the front office’s stunning move to replace Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in Grizzlies history, with a European-developed rookie lacking NBA head coaching experience has sent shockwaves through the league. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane are being asked to shoulder heavier leadership burdens as the NBA Playoffs loom.
Regardless of the situation, keeping tabs on the pulse of the locker room is one of a coach’s most difficult jobs. Unfortunately, Tuomas Iisalo steps into a high-stakes Grizzlies crucible with little margin for error.
“You can sense they are hurting,” admitted Iisalo. “Everybody is hurting in that locker room. It hurts when you really put yourself out on the line and you come up a little bit short. That’s life. That’s sports. That’s natural growing pains. I don’t think it’s something you need to run from. The message to me is very clear. With this type of effort, intensity, and togetherness, we can achieve a lot. It’s just that the timeline is tight.”
Film study and the foundation in place will have to suffice for on-court stress testing usually done during the preseason. Thankfully, there is a lot to like about a refreshed Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. trio leading the way.
“There are now actually a lot of things that we can actually work on,” added Iisalo, “because the base seems very, very stable when you look at how we are playing overall when we do execute.”
However, Iisalo knows there is a limit to how much can be done over the next six games despite the Grizzlies having a few “basic” weaknesses to address.
“Very hard to ask anything more of our guys. They are leaving it all on the floor,” Iisalo stressed. “On a back-to-back, to bring that type of competitiveness and camaraderie on the court, they are really doing everything right. They deserve a reward for it. Unfortunately for us, it was not in these first three games (with Iisalo in charge). Heading into (Miami), we will do everything we can in the meantime to make that happen.”
Golden State not only won the season series 3-1, but Curry’s 52-point performance pushed the Warriors (44-31) ahead of the Grizzlies (44-32) for fifth in the Western Conference standings. Tuomas Iisalo is now situated in eighth and NBA Play-In Tournament elimination game scenarios are more likely than hosting a Game Seven.
As for what realities have hit Iisalo the hardest now that he is sitting in the lead chair?
“The fact that we need to find a way to be a little bit better and find a way to win,” Iisalo stated. “We did not do a great job, apparently, of presenting the game plans or executing. Probably both, so we will do better next time. Overall, there are no moral winners in sports. It is a zero-sum game. We will do everything we can to rest after this very physically and emotionally tough stretch with the (three games in four days stretch) and everything that has been going on.”
Next up is a three-game road gauntlet including the Miami Heat (35-41), Detroit Pistons (42-34), and Charlotte Hornets (19-57). Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been through a lot, but mostly with Taylor Jenkins. Now the trio face the challenge of coalescing around an unproven coach in a season teetering on the brink. Despite the losses, Tuomas Iisalo remains steadfast, acknowledging the pain while pointing to this team’s potential.
As the Grizzlies organization navigates this turbulent transition, the clock is ticking, and the question looms: can a rookie coach and a determined core turn the tide before the NBA Playoffs slip out of reach?
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