The 2024-25 season saw the Grizzlies peak as a two seed but eventually collapse, leading to head coach Taylor Jenkins being fired just nine games before the end of the regular season. Shortly after, the Grizzlies were swept in the first round by the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite a difficult ending to last season, the Grizzlies elevated interim Tuomas Iisalo to the full-time head coaching role, and it is already looking like the wrong decision.
Tuomas Iisalo was previously known for his successful head coaching stint in Europe, leading Paris Basketball to Champions League and EuroCup titles. Iisalo joined the Grizzlies in 2024 as an assistant on Taylor Jenkins' staff despite previous interest from the Washington Wizards. However, Iisalo has struggled in his early days as an NBA head coach.
The Grizzlies needed to conduct a full coaching search
Given that Iisalo took over with just nine regular season games left last season, it was not a large enough sample size to judge him. Iisalo made the correct decision to feature rookie Zach Edey more, but it was simply too late to make other sweeping changes. Despite Iisalo's strong reputation before heading to the NBA, the Grizzlies not conducting a full coaching search has proven to be costly.
Tuomas Iisalo had previously coached in Europe for over a decade; however, he did not have any prior NBA experience before joining Taylor Jenkins' staff. Despite Iisalo having a reputation for being innovative offensively, a Grizzlies team in need of more winning experience in regard to player personnel and coaches likely would've benefited from an experienced NBA assistant or previous NBA head coach.
Names such as Sam Cassell and Mike Brown were floated as possible candidates to replace Taylor Jenkins following his firing. Ultimately, the Grizzlies decided to elevate Iisalo without considering any other external options.
Injuries should not absolve Iisalo from blame
It is no secret that injuries have continued to haunt the Grizzlies all season. The Grizzlies currently rank the highest in the NBA with total games missed due to injury, and they have also been granted four hardship exceptions. While injuries are a key cause of the Grizzlies' struggles, coaching deserves significant blame as well.
One of the areas of Iisalo's philosophy that deserves significant blame is his rotations. Iisalo likes to use his lineups in shorter stints in order to maximize pace. While it makes some sense, the problems outweigh the benefits. Iisalo has continued to sub out players that are in rhythm and also plays his best players significantly less than other teams.
Even though Zach Edey and Ty Jerome are huge absences for Iisalo's pick-and-roll-heavy style, Iisalo's game management has left a lot to be desired.
For example, Cam Spencer was not on the floor for the Grizzlies' game-tying shot attempt in OT against the 76ers on December 30, despite the Grizzlies needing a three. Another example includes the January 9 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the Grizzlies blew a 21-point lead. The Grizzlies were lacking shot creation late in the game but did not close with GG Jackson II, who had 18 points in 21 minutes.
There are plenty of examples to choose from, but Iisalo's feel for games has led to multiple preventable losses throughout the season. With Ja Morant on the trade block and the Grizzlies struggling recently, it feels that the Grizzlies' season is taking a bad turn. Despite an injury crisis, the Tuomas Iisalo experiment already appears to be backfiring on the Grizzlies.