Grizzlies fire Taylor Jenkins, franchise's winningest coach, despite being in playoff position

Teresa M. Walker · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 2:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, their winningest coach, connected Friday with the squad struggling down the agelong and astatine hazard of losing home-court vantage for the post-season.

Still sitting astatine No. 5 successful the Western Conference standings, the Grizzlies decided to dump Jenkins anyhow without instantly announcing an interim coach.

Jenkins led the Grizzlies for six seasons. He was fto spell with the squad connected the verge of playing 3 location games successful a four-day span starting Saturday — archetypal the Lakers, past Boston connected Monday, past Golden State connected Tuesday.

That starts a agelong wherever 8 of Memphis' last 9 opponents are either playoff clubs oregon contending for a play-in spot. But it's inactive possible, astatine slightest mathematically, that Memphis could get backmost to No. 2 successful the West, and it's highly improbable that the Grizzlies volition autumn into the play-in tourney range.

'Difficult decision'

Still, Memphis decided it was clip for a change.

"This was a hard decision, fixed the accordant and tangible improvement of our players and wide occurrence nether Taylor's leadership," Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies' president and wide manager of hoops operations, said successful a statement.

The Grizzlies volition not beryllium practising Friday and announced nary media availability.

Jenkins was the 5th longest-tenured manager with his existent nine successful the league, down lone San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Miami's Erik Spoelstra, Golden State's Steve Kerr and Denver's Michael Malone — each of them having won NBA titles.

Struggled vs. apical teams this season

Results against the league's champion teams truthful acold this play weren't a bully motion for Jenkins.

The Grizzlies were 0-4 against Oklahoma City, losing those games by 24, 13, 17 and 21 points. They're 3-6 truthful acold this play against Houston, Denver and the Lakers, the adjacent 3 teams up of them successful the West.

And that's been a inclination each play for Memphis. The Grizzlies were truly bully against the sub-.500 teams, but struggled mightily against the winning clubs.

Against the 13 different teams that presently are implicit .500, the Grizzlies are 11-20 this play and getting outscored by 77 points. Against the 16 clubs astatine .500 oregon worse, the Grizzlies are 33-9, outscoring those opponents by 462 points.

Jenkins, with a vocation grounds of 250-214, passed Lionel Hollins for astir wins successful franchise past Nov. 20 with a triumph against the Philadelphia 76ers. He besides coached the astir games successful Grizzlies' history, with the franchise launching successful 1995.

He took Memphis to the post-season 3 times during his tenure but lone got to the 2nd circular once.

In the 2021-22 season, the squad won 56 games for the Grizzlies' astir successful a play nether Jenkins. The Grizzlies captured the Southwest Division and were a No. 2 effect successful the West. They ousted the Minnesota Timberwolves successful the opening round, but mislaid to Golden State successful the 2nd with prima Ja Morant dealing with an injury.

Jenkins replaced J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired aft failing to marque the playoffs successful the 2018-19 season. He had served arsenic an adjunct with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, some moving for manager Mike Budenholzer.

He besides served a stint successful the San Antonio Spurs organization, yet becoming caput manager of the Spurs G League squad successful Austin.

Jenkins's accomplishment successful Memphis coincided with the Grizzlies drafting Morant with the No. 2 wide prime successful 2019. Memphis made the post-season 3 consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2023. Then the Grizzlies went done a play plagued with injuries to large players.

Morant played lone 9 games due to the fact that of a 25-game league suspension and a close enarthrosis wounded that ended his season. Fellow defender Desmond Bane missed sizeable clip with a near ankle sprain, and frontline reserve Brandon Clarke managed lone six games due to the fact that of a near Achilles tendon tear.

That near Jenkins to negociate the play with guardant Jaren Jackson Jr. and a clump of makeshift lineups, yet finishing 27-55.

This season, Jenkins turned implicit his coaching unit and brought successful a caller offence based connected spacing. Despite being plagued with turnovers, Memphis spent a ample portion of the play 2nd successful the West. Other teams surged arsenic the Grizzlies' unsmooth spot dropped them to 5th place.

Again, Jenkins spent different play piecing unneurotic lineups astir Morant constricted to 43 games with assorted illnesses, soreness, contusions and sprains. Morant missed Thursday night's game, his sixth straight, with a strained hamstring.