What could a Memphis Grizzlies coaching search look like?
The Memphis Grizzlies will be making a decision on its next head coach this summer. Could it be Tuomas Iisalo? If not, who else could be on the Grizzlies' radar?
The first domino of the Memphis Grizzlies’ offseason will be the head coach search. That’s a prediction based on history. You rarely see teams go into the draft or free agency without a coach’s vision in mind.
For the first time since the 2019 offseason, the Grizzlies will be searching for a new head coach. Since then, Taylor Jenkins became the all-time winningest head coach in franchise history. Aside from an injury-ravaged season in 2024, the Grizzlies never had a true rebuilding season under the vision from Jenkins and Zach Kleiman, and under the execution of its players.
However, after a defensive slippage within a loss of urgency and an inability to beat the West’s best, the Grizzlies are looking for a new voice to get this team back to its 2021-22 and 2022-23 levels — and higher.
Deciding on who is a decision tree that starts with the interim. Do the Grizzlies retain Tuomas Iisalo? If not, who is on their minds? A veteran head coach, or another fresh voice assistant?
Then, you have to explore what they’re looking for. The intangible elements are easy to identify. The Grizzlies need a no-BS coach that adds a certain level of accountability and grittiness. Within the realm, there has to be a blend of accountability and collaboration, as I believe the best teams are on the same page from the top down. On the floor, they have to restore the feeling defensively, a staple not only of this iteration but also the organization’s ethos. Most importantly, they have to find a way to get the best out of specifically Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. together, while also deploying a system that brings the best out of those around them.
(Yes, I know Desmond Bane is a part of the core. However, he’s typically the most malleable of the three players. It seems like the best versions of Morant and Jackson haven’t coincided together.)
In which direction will the Grizzlies go? Let’s break it down.
Veteran head coaches
The veteran head coaches are going to be the most popular head coaching candidates, because their track record and style are the most visible. In addition, there’s the “they’ve been there before” element. They typically avoid the frazzled mistakes of a newer head coach.
Here’s a rundown of the coaches that have been fired and weren’t promoted to a front office role since 2020: Mike Malone, Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown, Adrian Griffin, Darvin Ham, Wes Unseld, Jacque Vaughn, Frank Vogel, Monty Williams, Nate McMillan, Steve Nash, Stephen Silas, Alvin Gentry, Luke Walton, Nate Bjorkgren, Scott Brooks, Lloyd Pierce, Ryan Saunders, Terry Stotts, Stan Van Gundy, John Beilein, Jim Boylen, Brett Brown, Mike D’Antoni, David Fizdale.
Inspired? Possibly not, but here are some names that stand out.
Mike Malone is the most popular target, as he was fired three games before the end of the regular season, and he recently won a NBA championship. He checks a lot of boxes: built an elite two-way system (although how much of it is a Jokic boost?), won a championship, grittiness, accountable. The thing that trips me up is the tension between him and Calvin Booth. Division between a coaching staff and front office doesn’t bode well for stability and success. Besides, Mike Malone is on record for throwing strays at Memphis.
Terry Stotts is a proven coach that experienced consistent playoff success in Portland. Though they never won a championship with him — with Lamarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard, and CJ McCollum on his rosters — they made the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons as head coach, one of those resulting in a Western Conference Finals matchup. This season, he’s been an offensive coordinator for the Golden State Warriors. If a candidate, he could help continue maximizing a potent, yet undersized, backcourt of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.
Jeff Van Gundy would be the biggest candidate in a coaching search, if he ever intended to express his return to coaching. After being cut from ESPN, he’s gotten his coaching itch back as a consultant for the Boston Celtics and a lead assistant for the Clippers. He’s been noted as the “secret weapon” of the Clippers’ defense, and someone that’s changed the identity of the Clippers team. Since his hiring, the Clippers catapulted to third in defensive rating by becoming the best defensive rebounding team, a top-10 squad in forcing turnovers, and increasing the intensity with their three-point and transition defense. With the Grizzlies looking to up the defensive intensity and grittiness, Jeff Van Gundy would be a home run hire that would command respect from day one — if he interested in the job.
Mike Brown was the first playoff coach that was fired this season. The architect of the “Light the Beam” team, he helped install a dynamite offense that offset its defensive woes. He was also the head coach for the bulk of the first LeBron James run in Cleveland, and for a little over a season for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2011-12.
James Borrego has been a commodity in coaching searches, as he was a strong candidate for both the Lakers and Cavaliers job last summer. In his final two seasons with Charlotte, they won a combined 76 games — they have failed to reach that mark since they fired him. The team’s inability to get over the play-in hump under Borrego was a culprit of his firing. However, they were one of the league’s best offenses with him at the helm, though mediocre defensively.
Before Substack’s Marc Stein announced that Steve Nash is joining Amazon’s NBA coverage next season, he seemed like a good candidate as a former player that had a podcast with LeBron James. However, he’s likely not going to return to coaching.
Frank Vogel is the most intriguing former head coach to target. Defense is a staple to his system. His days in Indiana and the championship for the Lakers in 2020 are prime examples. However, the fact the Suns went from a top-half defense to a bottom-five after Vogel’s firing was just as telling.
Assistant coaches
Assistant coaches aren’t popular head coaching candidates when it comes to teams taking the next step. However, they have been beneficial recently.
Ty Lue and Nick Nurse are recent examples of former assistant coaches that won a championship in their first full season as a head coach. Ime Udoka went to the Finals in his lone year with Boston, and Joe Mazzulla reached the Eastern Conference Finals and then won a championship in his first two seasons. Darvin Ham reached the Western Conference Finals in his first year as head coach in 2023.
It doesn’t have a 100% success rate, but it also isn’t a destined failure either.
Who are some potential assistant coaches that could make the leap? These are names that have circulated the web as some of the best assistant coaches.
Known for his Ted Lasso like halftime interviews, Micah Nori emerged as a head coaching candidate after Chris Finch’s leg injury in last year’s playoffs. As a prominent assistant coach with the Wolves, he established relationships with his study on his opposition and with his communication skills.
Sean Sweeney is a Mavericks assistant coach that was most responsible for their defensive schemes and scouting. He also trained Giannis Antetokounmpo early in his career.
If you asked people which assistant coach may be the most deserved for their first head coaching job, it’d be Sam Cassell. Between his playing days and his coaching career, he has over 30 years of experience. He has a wealth of experience and a championship pedigree that could be a boost wherever he goes.
Chris Quinn has been the lead assistant for Erik Spoelstra’s Heat staff. He’s been described as a “mini Spo,” which bodes well for a team looking to instill a gritty, winning culture.
Jerry Stackhouse was formerly on Memphis’ staff on JB Bickerstaff’s staff in the 2018-19 season, then he coached for the Vanderbilt men’s basketball team for five years. He returned to the NBA as the assistant with the Warriors with an emphasis towards working on the defense. On his podcast, Draymond Green recently described Stackhouse as an alpha.
Jarron Collins is a 10-year NBA veteran that’s been an assistant coach since the 2014-15 season. He interviewed with the Grizzlies in 2019 and was offered a lead assistant job on Jenkins’ staff. He was praised during his time in Golden State for his defensive gameplan and his film study.
Indiana Pacers assistant Jenny Boucek has been instrumental in player development and the analytics movement on their staff. Rick Carlisle recently dubbed Boucek as “one of the best coaches in the world,” with the praise that she could become one of the first female coaches in NBA history.
Tuomas Iisalo
Finally, Tuomas Iisalo, the interim for the Memphis Grizzlies for the final nine regular season games and postseason.
After the coaching change, the Grizzlies went 5-10 in the final games — 0-4 against the Thunder, 1-1 in the play-in, and 4-5 to close the regular season.
It’s tough to gauge what really felt super different, but some stuff stood out. Iisalo’s willingness to adjust his rotations and minutes stood out, immediately shrinking to an 8-9 man rotation with a revolving door around those 8th and 9th spots to find something — integral after Jaylen Wells’ season-ending injury. Aside from the 51-point thrashing against the Thunder, the team’s urgency was a bit more evident, although a few bad quarters cost them different games down the stretch. He didn’t have great moments with his substitution patterns, then timeout and challenge management.
The stark differences shined in individual play. Once Iisalo took over, ball screens were more, and heavily, emphasized — which played to Ja Morant and Zach Edey’s strengths. While Santi Aldama and Luke Kennard struggled to find a consistent rhythm with the ball in their hands less, Scotty Pippen Jr. was a role player who excelled with his two-way play. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were pretty good — great in some areas, but struggled in some — although our lasting impression is their struggles with Oklahoma City’s defensive pressure.
I do want to point out some notable personnel difference whenever he took over.
Zach Edey went through the starkest differences. Through the first round, he’s leading the NBA in screen assists (5.3) and points generated from them (12.3). When Iisalo took over, he closed the regular season leading in this category (5.6 and 13.1, respectively). His impact on the glass and as a shot-blocker was felt more, especially in the box score, a byproduct of Iisalo leaning on him in the absence of Brandon Clarke. It seemed like Iisalo’s tweaks utilized Edey’s strengths more effectively rather than the low screening system the majority of the season.
Ja Morant’s scoring uptick boomed, as he returned to being the focal point of the offense — averaging 22.3 field goal attempts per game in his final regular season game, 21 in the play-in, and 17.7 in his three play-in games. Through those segments, he didn’t average six or more assists in any of them. Assists are a two-way street, but if Iisalo is the guy, he has to find a way to unlock his passing a bit more. His passing off drives felt infrequent compared to past years.
Jaren Jackson Jr.’s offensive role felt diminished from the eye test, but his shot volume remained the same. However, he went from third on the team in touches before Jenkins’ firing, to fifth at both the end of the regular season and postseason — behind Ja and Bane, then Pippen and Santi Aldama in the regular season. The Grizzlies looked to find something using Jackson in a power forward role. If Iisalo gets the job, he has to find a way to maximize Morant and Jackson without it coming at the expense of the other.
The main thing that caught my eye with Desmond Bane after the coaching change is his three-point volume. He was shooting 5.8 three’s per game before the coaching change, then averaged between 7-8 per game in the three segments of Iisalo’s run. Bane’s growth as a live-dribble creator and a secondary playmaker has been wonderful the past few years, but can feel a bit exposed at time — career-high 12.7 turnover percentage this season. The most optimal version of Bane is one where he’s letting it fly. He’s too potent of a shooter to average roughly six three-pointers per game. It has to trend closer to 10 to maximize his game and his fit next to Ja and Jaren.
Finally, in the play-in and end of the regular season, the Big 3 averaged the most field goal attempts per game by a wide margin. Jackson, the third-highest in this category, took roughly seven more field goals on average than the whoever was 4th between Pippen and Aldama.
While Iisalo’s job is to maximize the roster, the clear pecking order was established with a plan to play to the strengths of its key players.
I have pointed to a statement regarding my opinion of Iisalo with his prospects of becoming the next Memphis Grizzlies head coaching:
Don’t overestimate how much he could’ve really changed, but don’t underestimate what he could alter with a full offseason to establish his regime.
Iisalo made it clear that he took over that time was of the essence, and he didn’t have time for drastic changes. He had 15 games in 28 days with only two practices in that span. Sure, more rest and practices would have been available if they took care of business in the 7-8 play-in game, or in the regular season. However, point remains, not much time to change anything.
Iisalo’s principles from his EuroLeague coaching career offer the best pathway in what could change.
Defensively, Iisalo’s pick-and-roll defense is a core piece. He strived to keep it a 2v2 action as much as possible with an aggressive hedge with the perimeter defender getting screened plugging into the passing lane to prevent the roll. Trust is also a big component of the team’s defense.
Offensively, his points of emphasis boil down to speed and movement — pushing the pace for early advantages, 0.5-second decision-making, attacking the paint, and spacing. The team also saw an uptick in pick-and-roll with his hire, an integral part of his system in Europe.
Finally, he has good endorsements from the players. He’s a coach willing to listen to them, holding people accountable, and not putting up with any bulls— that gets in the way of winning.
Morant provided the biggest endorsement during exit interviews:
“I feel like Tuomas is a good coach for me. Going into my film sessions with him or just talking about the game of basketball, seeing and hearing that he sees the same thing I see out there on the floor, I wouldn’t say it’s been surprising, but it’s been very exciting because we continue to just pick each other’s brain, trying to find the best solution for us offensively. He’s a big-time competitor.”
While the record is uninspiring, the circumstances were unprecedented. If Tuomas Iisalo is the head coach, it’s based off his track record in Europe as well as the areas of coaching that are seen behind the scenes. If given the job, it’s far more likely Iisalo shows more of what he can provide as a NBA head coach — and thrive in the process.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ coaching search could go in any direction. There’s not a coaching blueprint for being a title contender in the modern NBA. Assistant coaches have been a breath of fresh air early in their careers. Veteran head coaches like Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Mike Malone, and Frank Vogel have won championships. Steve Kerr was unconventional as a first-time coach leading a dynasty.
I’m not partial to any decision. The Grizzlies could do a coaching search and hire externally. They could hire Tuomas Iisalo, with or without a coaching search. The absence of an immediate decision shows that Zach Kleiman is looking to digest the season and explore pathways they could go down.
Nonetheless, the Grizzlies will see a facelift with summer with the coaching staff and likely the roster. Hand in hand, their direction could lay the foundation on their quest to contend — and win — a championship.
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