5 ways Tuomas Iisalo has improved and 5 steps to fulfill his full potential

Tuomas Iisalo stepped into his first head coaching position in the NBA at a terrible time. The Grizzlies had just fired Taylor Jenkins with only nine games remaining while still clearly headed to the playoffs. 

The reasons Jenkins was let go are for a different article. But between that abbreviated season and Iisalo's first full year, fans never saw the full version of this team. The 2025-26 season was a horrible (or masterful, depending on your perspective) tank job, and the roster pulled together in the offseason never had Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ty Jerome, Zach Edey and rookie force Cedric Coward healthy and playing together.

Even later in the season, the front office made no bones about what was going on, to the point Iisalo publicly lamented the lack of available big men. For reference, Jahmai Mashack — a player I like and respect a lot...at guard — played multiple games at center last season. The 6'4" man would have been an undersized center in the era of Red Auerbach's Celtics, let alone in 2026.

Whatever your feelings about Iisalo as a basketball coach, you must admit that the front office did him no favors. I don't care if it was Norman Dale from Hoosiers that was coaching. He would have been set up to fail. And that's part of the reason my first article on Beale Street Bears is about the coach more than any of the young talent or big names. 

Because I've been around Twitter for years and years and seen the talk, I've seen fans place blame on him and his system. But he's essentially done as good a job as could possibly have been asked considering the circumstances and compared to quite a few coaches in Grizztory. And I'm talking all the way back to the Pyramid days. 

Iisalo has already improved from Year 1 in a number of ways, but he hasn't yet fulfilled his (and his team's) true potential for this season. Grizz fans already experienced the floor last year when most of his team was taken from him. But his ceiling? He could be the best coach in the NBA, and no one should rule out him earning Coach of the Year honors as soon as the end of this season.

5 ways Iisalo has improved from Year 1 as head coach

1. More production per possession 

Through 11 games, Memphis has improved from 112.9 points per 100 possessions last season to 117.8 this year, climbing from 25th to seventh in offensive efficiency, per Basketball Reference.

Ty Jerome's expanded scoring role has given the offense an explosive starting point it just didn't have last year. He's averaging 26.2 points on 50 percent shooting. Those are elite numbers not just in scoring but in efficiency. 

Iisalo has game-planned to his strengths, as well, making Jerome's pick-and-roll creation central to the attack with teammates positioned to benefit when defenders help. This is a big part of what had Ja Morant himself advocating for Iisalo before his first full year. 

In addition, the Grizzlies are doing a far better job extending possessions thanks to the big men's improved offensive rebounding.

2. Cleaning the glass 

Last season, Memphis, sabotaged by not having any big men whatsoever during the second half of the schedule, averaged 42.1 rebounds while allowing opponents 46.8. Through 11 games this season, those figures are 47.6 and 41.5, respectively. 

The improvement becomes even clearer when looking at the share of available rebounds Memphis is collecting. The Grizzlies’ defensive rebounding percentage has climbed from 70.9 percent last season to 75.2 percent this year, and their offensive rebounding rate has increased from 24.7 percent to 29.7 percent. 

Those gains have helped Memphis finish defensive possessions and create second chances when its own shots miss. That fits the physical identity Iisalo and the front office targeted before the season with Zach Edey, Cameron Boozer, and Cedric Coward expected to lead the work on the glass. 

Having strong rebounders at multiple positions gives that approach a foundation that will pay dividends for everyone on the developing roster. Memphis can recover from an unsuccessful offensive possession and make sure a defensive stop actually ends with the ball in its hands. 

Edey's utilization when he's on the floor is key. Iisalo has said as much, calling Edey his "key rebounder and defensive anchor," per NBA.com.

The third-year center isn't currently at his peak level, but simply having him out there forces teams to play differently and gives Memphis a great rebounding advantage. Early struggles or not, the Grizzlies need to keep The Big Zamboni running. 

3. The defense has more grit

Memphis allowed 118.8 points per 100 possessions last season. That number is down to 111.8 through 11 games. The Grizzlies have gone from 24th to 10th in defensive efficiency, and the improvement gives them room to survive uneven offensive stretches — or whenever Kris Murray is on the floor. 

Iisalo’s emphasis has been on connecting all five defenders with clear responsibilities for protecting the rim and helping when a teammate gets beaten. He identified those rotations as a priority during the preseason. 

The Toronto win provided an encouraging example. Memphis held the Raptors to 9-of-27 shooting in the fourth quarter without allowing a free-throw attempt. 

Responding to three straight losses with that closing effort gives the young roster hope that the kids will be okay even when things go south. The next step is making that defensive discipline persist through changing lineups and tougher stretches of the schedule. 

4. Bench efficiency 

The bench was already productive last season, averaging 46 points. This season's 45.4 points per game have come with better shooting. The bench mob has improved from 44.7 percent to 47.9 percent from the field and from 35.6 percent to 40.6 percent from three. 

Isaiah Stewart's confidence in his offensive role helps explain the appeal of playing for Iisalo, and he directly credited him. After scoring 24 against Sacramento, Stewart told Rob Fischer (h/t Sports Illustrated) that Iisalo had said this would be the biggest offensive role of his career. 

"This is really the first time in my career I have a coach that’s pushing me to be something on that end of the floor. He told me this would be the most I do offensively, and he’s just putting that battery pack in my back."

Giving reserves a defined purpose matters when Iisalo calls on them to make decisions immediately. The improved shooting shows that the boys on Beale are up to the task. 

We've seen it with Stewart. We've seen it with my grandma's favorite player, Cam Spencer, helping him grow running the show and not just being a pure scorer. Iisalo has proven he isn't afraid to push his players, particularly the bench guys, into uncomfortable circumstances that end up paying off in the end. 

5. The offense is organized better 

This starts with the addition of Boozer, who was brought in to be a frontcourt playmaker. But Iisalo is already expanding how Memphis uses that option. In Toronto, the rook initiated possessions from the top of the floor and finished with 22 points and eight assists, including feeds for two important Jerami Grant corner threes. 

That usage allows Ty Jerome to work away from the ball and gives the offense another response to pressure. Iisalo has done a great job exploring a multitude of those combinations. 

After the win over the Raptors, Jerome praised teammates for staying ready and keeping a positive attitude. Sub-Zero once said that all things are difficult before they become easy, and that readiness makes changing roles easier. Taylor Hendricks added nine points in 16 minutes after Quinten Post's early exit, giving Memphis a useful contribution from outside its usual rotation. 

The value of Iisalo's substitutions depends on how those pieces fit together. Short shifts are useful when the next group can maintain the pressure, and staggering creators can give reserves a clearer route to good shots. 

Many people want more minutes for the big names, specifically the big scoring threats, but this is coaching with May in mind, not November. And he deserves a real chance to see it through. 

The Grizzlies have started off with a record better than a lot of people expected. Some still refuse to accept it at all even after the preseason predictions were so hard on Memphis.

But the work is just beginning. If Iisalo is going to take home the Coach of the Year award, he has to keep improving.

5 things Iisalo must do to become the Coach of the Year

1. Get the turnovers under control

This problem has reared its ugly head in every single Grizzlies game so far. A lot of this is the flip side of putting so much in the rookies' hands, which has done a lot of good but is also responsible for Cam Boozer averaging nearly 3.5 turnovers per game. 

But it isn't all on his shoulders; the whole team is averaging nearly a turnover and a half more per game this season. It's a problem at every level, and Iisalo needs to be hands-on correcting it. 

Guards need to recognize the second defender earlier, screeners should offer an accessible outlet, and teammates away from the ball must move into clear passing angles. Memphis should also emphasize completing the simple pass when a transition opportunity becomes crowded. 

Those adjustments would preserve the ambition of Iisalo’s offense while giving its young players clearer decisions under pressure. Reducing avoidable turnovers would help the Grizzlies retain more of the advantage they're creating through improved shooting and rebounding. 

2. Don't live and die by the three

Brevin Knight is smiling somewhere when he reads this. Memphis needs to be more aggressive inside the arc when three-point shooting cools instead of just forcing it. The Grizzlies went 12-of-44 from beyond the arc in their 107-103 loss to the Pacers, showing how costly those stretches can be. 

Boozer offered an individual example of another approach against the Raptors, scoring 22 points despite missing all five of his threes. He made nine of his 11 attempts inside the arc and added eight assists, showing how his finishing and passing can keep him productive through a shooting slump. 

Iisalo should continue developing actions that get Boozer attacking favorable matchups, use Zach Edey’s screens to create driving lanes, and reward cutters when defenders turn toward the ball. Getting into the paint gives Memphis opportunities to finish, draw fouls, or find an open teammate. 

This isn't anything complicated, but it needs to be drilled in from the coaching staff to the players. 

Maintaining spacing and taking good three-point opportunities should remain part of that approach. Building reliable options around the basket would give the Grizzlies more ways to sustain their offense across the uneven shooting nights of a full season. 

Because let's face it. I'd get anybody reading this a full slab of ribs from the Rendezvous that the three-ball just won't drop in some games. The Grizzlies have to learn how to deal with that fact. 

Jaylen Wells said it himself, per NBA.com: "Teams are scouting us now and they know how we run our offense." If Memphis is to reach its full potential, it has to become a three-dimensional team.

3. Keep the defensive performance up through injuries

Keeping the defense performing through injuries will be another major test for Iisalo. Memphis entered the Toronto game without Scotty Pippen Jr. and Beef Stew, and then it lost Quinten Post in the opening quarter, forcing further changes to the lineups. 

Iisalo needs combinations that can contain penetration, protect the basket, and finish possessions with a rebound despite those absences. Staggering Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward could help maintain perimeter resistance across different units. 

Giving Spencer more run with the starters can help keep a key perimeter defender on every unit rather than them both being off the floor at the same time. Spelling Coward and Wells that way would keep the team more balanced. When Zach Edey plays, guards must stay connected through screens to limit situations in which he must defend both the ball-handler and the rolling big man. 

Smaller groups need clear help assignments and a collective commitment to boxing out, which has been lacking with Edey off the floor. Simplifying those responsibilities could also help unfamiliar combinations communicate more effectively. 

Toronto provided an encouraging example of players adapting with little preparation time, which Iisalo praised afterward. 

"The whole team, we were put in a tough situation there after Quinten Post was also deemed not to be able to continue playing." Iisalo explained, per Roundtable (h/t Yahoo Sports). "And we had some lineups that have never played together. We kind of mixed and matched the things we did, and I thought our guys found a good balance between still playing with our identity, but also playing to the strengths of those particular units with very little practice time together. So that was also encouraging." 

Making those adjustments consistently is key, particularly in this modern era where it's normal for players on every team to get nights off. Without a true star (yet) to carry the load, it's all the more vital for this current group of Grizzlies. 

4. Get it together late in games

Memphis needs to make smarter decisions in the final possessions of close games. This has been a multiyear issue for both players and coaches, and enough is enough.

Iisalo has already credited preseason drills built around different clock and scoring situations with helping the Grizzlies handle their early tests. The Indiana loss showed how demanding those decisions can become and how easy it is for him to bungle it and make the whole team look bad. 

Trailing by one with 28.2 seconds left and no timeouts, Memphis trapped to encourage an early shot, and Aaron Nesmith answered with a clutch three that helped settle the game. The decision had a clock-management rationale and required precise defensive rotations behind the pressure. 

Iisalo should keep refining those scenarios until every player understands when to foul, when to trap, and who covers the next pass. 

Offensively, Memphis needs a familiar opening action, a dependable outlet when Ty Jerome faces pressure, and enough time to attack again if the first option disappears. Closing lineups should also reflect the immediate need for ball-handling, shooting, defense, or rebounding. 

Those details would help a young team turn its preparation into reliable decisions when there is little time to recover from a mistake. The Grizzlies have struggled with this for years. 

If Iisalo can finally be the man to get the most out of these situations, he'll look golden to all of us in Grind City and beyond. 

Also, stop overthinking things. You don't have to force the trap, and you don't have to push it before you're ready. For example: Just call the freaking timeout against Denver! When those mistakes happen, own them. That was the wrong call, and everyone knew it. Without admitting mistakes and learning from them, none of the rest will matter.

5. Make the Playoffs! 

ESPN projected Memphis to finish 29-53. A playoff berth, accompanied by visible development from the young core, would give Iisalo a compelling argument that he's exceeded expectations enough to both win Coach of the Year and give M-Town the excitement it desperately needs after the last few years.

Fifteen years ago, we saw Believe Memphis take over the city as the Grizzlies won their first-ever playoff game and then a playoff series over the No. 1 seed San Antonio Spurs. I've never felt a rush like that take over the city. 

But this team has the ingredients to do it again, and Iisalo has the ingredients to lead them there. 

The final test is turning this encouraging opening into a playoff season. Memphis is 7-4 through 11 games after finishing his first full season at 25-57, giving the Grizzlies a foundation worth building on. Sustaining that progress will require the necessary improvements to survive injuries, shooting slumps, and opponents becoming more familiar with the system. 

The priorities laid out here all connect: Fewer turnovers preserve scoring opportunities, reliable defensive assignments help replacement players contribute, and better late-game execution can turn close contests into wins. Iisalo must keep developing his young core while finding combinations he can trust when those problems arrive together. 

A top-six finish in the Western Conference would make his Coach of the Year case especially compelling. It would demonstrate that Memphis’s early progress had developed into a dependable standard across the regular season. 

If Iisalo can guide this group from 25 wins to that level while helping its young players grow, he will have built a strong argument for the award. And Memphis will be able to Believe again. 

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