After trailing by as many as 23 points in the second quarter of their game 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Memphis Grizzlies battled back to cut the deficit to eight points before beginning the fourth quarter down 11 points. The Thunder then ran off a 9-0 run to take a 20-point deficit to put the game away.
However, one important player was missing during the beginning of the fourth quarter sequence when the Grizzlies had an outside shot at making the comeback. Ja Morant sat on the bench for the first seven points of that run, similar to the time he was off the court between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second when the team was a (-25) in game 1.
When Taylor Jenkins was fired as head coach on March 28th, the thought behind it was that a new voice would understand the ramifications of playing their stars heavy minutes when the games matter the most. A couple of puzzling decisions will likely cause the Grizzlies to look elsewhere for a head coaching candidate when the offseason officially begins.
Memphis can't afford to wait on a rookie head coach to develop with a win now team
The Grizzlies are built to contend right now with their three best players entering their prime in the next two seasons. However, the organization has continued to act like a team in the development stage, with a team that has made the playoffs four times in the last five seasons.
Taylor Jenkins' time ran its course, and Tuomas Iisalo was handed the keys to the franchise with only nine games remaining, making it nearly impossible for him to learn on the job. He is not only a rookie interim head coach, but this season was his first experience on an NBA staff after spending the first 10 seasons of his coaching career overseas.
While he might become a good coach long term in the NBA, the Grizzlies have immense pressure to contend right now, as their top three players will be on max deals. While the roster issues with youth and lack of adequate pieces around their core have been documented, a veteran coach who has experience with a team of this caliber will go a long way in helping the team reach its goals in the coming seasons.
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman will have his pick of the litter this summer with a plethora of head coaching options available. Despite their flaws, they have the top-end talent that would make their job enticing to a coach who could better assist with pushing this team from good to great.