Memphis Grizzlies: Taylor Jenkins’ 2020-21 season was all over the place

Memphis Grizzlies HC Taylor Jenkins did everything he wasn’t supposed to do in year two (in a good way)

As mentioned, the Memphis Grizzlies were playing basketball with half of a team in 2021. Their best defender in Jaren Jackson Jr. was out, while the rest of the squad struggled with injuries the entire season.

Jenkins didn’t care.

He took Xavier Tillman, a second-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and turned him into one of the best backup centers in the league. That’s not an exaggeration either, as Tillman was serviceable on offense and arguably the team’s best defender down low in 2021.

Most importantly, he created a roster that could work cohesively with one another, even without a key part of their starting lineup. He allowed each player to step into a role that best suited them.

Ja Morant became the team’s spark plug. Dillon Brooks became the alpha dog on defense. Jonas Valanciunas became an unstoppable force in the paint. Kyle Anderson became one of the league’s sneakiest pickpockets.

Every single starter improved from last season, helping this team reach a 38-34 record.

Jenkins took a team that was projected to finish last in the conference by some and had them competing with anybody you put in front of them. Even in a 4-1 series loss against the Utah Jazz, Memphis hung around for the entirety of the series. The Jazz have much more established talent, but the contests looked like a dogfight between two equally-talented teams.

That said, Taylor Jenkins’ 2021 season was not without its flaws.