Coming off their shocking firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, the Memphis Grizzlies lost their most important game of the season to the Los Angeles Lakers at home on March 29th.
While many in the fanbase wanted Jenkins out and the writing was on the wall last summer after the replacement of multiple assistant coaches, the timing couldn't be more off.
However, there were some positives to take from their loss to the Lakers on short notice, one night after the firing of their head coach for the last six seasons. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo reinserted Zach Edey back into the starting lineup to good results, and the team showed resiliency, erasing a 20-point first-half deficit to take the lead in the second half.
With their season on the line, as they only have a 1.5-game lead from the play-in tournament, the Grizzlies are hoping they can trigger the same future as one of the NBA's best this season.
The Grizzlies want to follow the Cleveland Cavaliers mold
Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman referred to the timing of his firing of Taylor Jenkins as an urgent move. The Grizzlies' struggles post-All-Star break have been well documented, especially against winning teams.
One of those teams, the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, beat the Grizzlies twice during that stretch. That same Cavaliers team and the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder are teams the Grizzlies expected to be on the same level with at this point of their development.
They have a big three in Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond to build around that experienced success at early ages with back-to-back two-seed seasons. However, the roster built around them is younger and lacks the relevant coaching to take them to the next level, according to their recent move.
The Cavaliers made that revelation last season after losing to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics 4-1 in the second round of the playoffs. Some coaches max out at developing a team and the Grizzlies are banking on that revelation, just as the Cavaliers did when they moved on from J. B. Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson.
The Cavaliers core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen returned after trade rumors following last season's finish as they became one of the NBA's best teams after the coaching switch. Time will tell when the playoffs begin if the move will propel them further than the second-round but their regular season has proven they've made the right decision.
Now it's the Grizzlies' turn to seek out the coach they feel will propel them past their second-round ceiling in the 2021 - 2022 season. Tuomas Iisalo is first up as the interim head coach, with eight games remaining to turn around their recent slide.