Following the Grizzlies' victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night, head coach Taylor Jenkins finds himself three regular season wins away from surpassing Lionel Hollins as the winningest head coach in the franchise's history. As the sixth-year Grizzlies head coach closes in on that accomplishment, his impact can't be overstated.
Taylor Jenkins was brought in to be the head coach of the Grizzlies in 2019 after being an assistant under current Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer for six seasons (five with the Atlanta Hawks and one with the Milwaukee Bucks). His immediate task was aiding in the development of then-rookie Ja Morant as the Grizzlies began a rebuild into a new era.
As with any team with a superstar player that has achieved some success, criticisms of the head coach start to appear. Taylor Jenkins' biggest criticism throughout his head coaching career has been attributed to one thing that remains impactful this season.
Player Rotations / Minutes
The Grizzlies have been dealt no favors in the injury department during Taylor Jenkins' tenure as a major injury has impacted nearly every season since his arrival. Jaren Jackson Jr.'s torn meniscus impacted the end of the 2019-20 season and nearly the entirety of the 2020-21 season. Ja Morant missed their last three playoff games of the 2021-22 season and Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke missed the end of the 2022-23 season.
The 2023-24 injury-filled season has been talked about ad nauseam. However, Taylor Jenkins' player rotations and minutes distribution have been a talking point by the fanbase in the past and it has continued this season. With the Grizzlies playing their first six games in nine nights, Jenkins decided to limit the minutes of his stars to preserve their availability.
Jaren Jackson Jr. returned to the team after missing the first two games of the season and proceeded to not play less than 30 minutes in his first four games this season. Ja Morant's minutes have been limited to third on the team with 27.9 minutes per game this season and players like Santi Aldama and Jake LaRavia are averaging more minutes than their two stars.
I asked Taylor Jenkins about the minutes distribution today.
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) October 29, 2024
With Jaren Jackson Jr., he said they’re trying to build him back up after the hamstring injury. He added that there were a couple of times he had guys ready to check in but the defense wasn’t getting stops.
Both Aldama and LaRavia are averaging more minutes than the Grizzles' third star Desmond Bane, triggering a ton of questions for the head coach. At 6-4, the Grizzlies suffered a couple of losses where the momentum of the game changed while Jenkins relied on lineups that didn't include at least two of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr.
As the team deals with another plethora of injuries and a new fast-paced offense, Taylor Jenkins has tried to preserve his stars for the long haul. With the exception of former small forward Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies' big three has led the team in minutes throughout Taylor Jenkins' tenure, and this will likely be the case once the team is back to full health and past the early stretch of the grind of the season.