The Memphis Grizzlies shocked the NBA world by firing head coach Taylor Jenkins with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. While on paper the move appears abrupt—Jenkins is the winningest coach in franchise history and the Grizzlies sit tied for fourth in the West—it may signal a deeper fracture between the team’s front office and its star player, Ja Morant.
Morant, who has played his entire career under Jenkins, was reportedly close with the coach and had supported him publicly and privately throughout the ups and downs. However, the Grizzlies’ dramatic overhaul of the coaching staff last summer without Jenkins’ full backing was an early red flag.
Five assistants, including Blake Ahearn—Morant’s closest mentor—were dismissed. That set a new tone internally, one which only worsened as the Grizzlies struggled with chemistry, offense, and buy-in down the stretch.
The breaking point for Morant may not have been just Jenkins’ firing, but what preceded it. According to The Athletic, Morant was unhappy with the offensive system installed this season by new assistants Noah LaRoche and Tuomas Iisalo—an off-ball, motion-heavy offense that minimized Ja’s strengths.
The pick-and-rolls and high screens that allowed him to carve up defenses were replaced by a scheme focused on pace, cutting, and spreading the floor. Morant reportedly hated it, and league sources have claimed he looked disinterested on some practice days because of how much he disliked the new direction.
While Jenkins had recently begun reintroducing the plays Morant thrives in, it might have been too late. Both Jenkins and LaRoche are now gone. Iisalo, the architect of the offense Morant loathed, is still in place as interim head coach.
For a player of Ja’s stature, this series of events raises an uncomfortable question for Memphis: Does Morant still want to be there?
Though Morant is in the middle of a five-year, $200 million deal and the Grizzlies front office has emphatically shut down trade rumors, league executives are quietly wondering how long that commitment will last.
The NBA is a star-driven league, and when a franchise alienates its best player—especially one who is already dealing with injury concerns, suspensions, and an evolving identity—it tends to end poorly.
Memphis now faces an awkward road ahead. On one hand, they’ve bet on a new vision, investing in Iisalo’s philosophy and signaling a readiness to move beyond Jenkins’ era.
On the other, they’ve distanced themselves from their franchise cornerstone. Morant, still just 25, is averaging 22.2 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 43 games this season, his lowest statistical output since his second year. With his health in question and his relationship with the front office seemingly fractured, his future in Memphis is uncertain.
Taylor Jenkins’ firing isn’t just a coaching change—it’s a seismic shift. And if the Grizzlies aren’t careful, it could be the first domino that leads to Ja Morant’s eventual departure.
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