Given the Memphis Grizzlies’ criteria for their next head coach, they selected the best fit for the job in Taylor Jenkins.
It took exactly two months to come to a final decision, but the Memphis Grizzlies finally announced a new head coach on Tuesday, June 11th. Among a field full of candidates without prior NBA head coaching experience, the Grizzlies ultimately selected a Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach, Taylor Jenkins.
The news is officially official per the Memphis Grizzlies. Jenkins will be formally introduced via press conference on Wednesday, June 12th, at 2:00 PM Central Time.
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While a lot of hoops fans do not recognize the name of Taylor Jenkins, they most certainly will recognize his work behind the scenes. Hands-down his biggest accomplishment is the development of Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo this season. He assisted with the Greek Freak’s jump from a budding star to a league MVP seemingly overnight.
This aspect is key to the future of the Memphis Grizzlies because Jaren Jackson Jr. — the team’s 2018 first-round pick — is a young “unicorn” prototype, very similar to Antetokounmpo with the all-inclusive package of height, length, ballhandling, shooting, and defensive capabilities. Memphis has high hopes for Jackson Jr., and so they have high hopes for Taylor Jenkins to lift Jaren to superstar status.
Of all seven reported candidates for the Grizzlies’ head coach job posting, Taylor Jenkins was the best man for the role because he had dealt with a talent such as Giannis. That is a rare listing on a résumé, thus it was an opportunity Memphis could not pass up.
In looking at the Milwaukee Bucks’ team success in 2018-19, you will see that they ranked first in offense (117.3 points per game) and 10th in team defense (an allowance of 108.4 points per game), en route to an NBA-best 60-22 record. This is icing on the cake for a candidate such as Jenkins, and it really put his name on the map.
Taylor Jenkins first hit the NBA scene as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. Even those five seasons had great triumphs for the Memphis Grizzlies’ new hire. He played a huge role in the development of point guards Jeff Teague, Kent Bazemore, and Dennis Schroder in addition to center Al Horford.
This should be music to Grizz Nation’s ears when considering the next few seasons for Grizz youngsters such as Jevon Carter, Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks, and, say, Ja Morant, if that is who Memphis selects with the No. 2 overall NBA Draft pick on June 20th.
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And so begins the Taylor Jenkins era in Memphis, Tennessee. If he lasts at least three full seasons, it will be just the third time in Grizzlies franchise history a coach has made it that far. This fact alone should immediately place pressure on Coach Jenkins’ shoulders from Day One. Memphis wants results, especially now that they are gluing promising prospects together.
It should also be noted that Taylor Jenkins has coached Justin Holiday in the past (the 2015-16 season to be exact) and it could play a factor in Holiday’s unrestricted free-agency starting on June 30th. Holiday could be a decent reserve option for the upcoming season, especially considering he already has one-half of a season of familiarity with the organization.
In speaking of NBA Free-Agency, now that a head coach has been named by the Memphis Grizzlies’ a decision should be coming any day from center Jonas Valanciunas. He has stated several times since end of the regular season that Memphis’ pick of a new head coach will play a major role in opting in — or out — of the final year of his contract.
June 11th marks the official beginning to Taylor Jenkins taking over the helm of the Grizzlies’ ship. While it would not take much to surpass the results of most of Memphis’ previous head coaches, it will be a challenge to lift the small-market club into a contending position. However, this decade has shown it is absolutely possible for the Memphis Grizzlies.