The Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets had some things in common last season. The Grizzlies fired former coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games remaining, and the Nuggets fired Mike Malone with three games remaining. Both firings came as a surprise due to the timing and the length of time they spent as coaches of their teams.
Interestingly enough, the Grizzlies and Nuggets had an important game to play to settle their season tiebreaker, take control of gaining homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and avoid the play-in tournament on April 11th. Memphis controlled the majority of the game until a 16-3 run in the game's final seven minutes gave the Nuggets the win and clinched the fourth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.
The Grizzlies fell to the eighth seed in a tight conference race, but both teams ended their seasons with series losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both coaches who were interims at that time now have full reins with Tuomas Iisalo on the Grizzlies and David Adelman on the Nuggets. The Nuggets are expected to be one of the best in the West this season, but the Grizzlies are lurking in the shadows.
It's all about the new coaches
A low-key offseason development that connects these two franchises was Tuomas Iisalo hiring Denver Nuggets' assistant coach, Ryan Saunders, to the Grizzlies staff. His experience as a head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves gives Iisalo someone with previous head coaching experience to help him navigate his first full season as a head coach in the NBA.
Saunders was also on the Nuggets staff, with Adelman, during their championship season in 2023. On the roster front, the Nuggets seemingly made moves to close their gap with the Thunder, whom they took to the full seven games before losing by 32 points in the series-deciding game in the second round of the playoffs.
The Nuggets have been one of the top teams in the West the last three seasons, coinciding with the Grizzlies' fall from the top of the standings. However, only two games separated the teams last season, with the Grizzlies being only seven minutes away from winning the tiebreaker if they finished with the same record.
The offseason may have suggested a step back for the Grizzlies, but they feel they are closer to surpassing the Nuggets in the West standings. Ultimately, with new head coaches on both sides, Tuomas Iisalo's transition in his first season will determine if the Grizzlies can get over the hump they couldn't in those final seven minutes on April 11th.