Last week, it was revealed that the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff would be undergoing a major shakeup ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, as they have opted to part ways with and subsequently hired six new members for Taylor Jenkins’ support system.
Following the club’s 27-55 finish this past season, seeing such a drastic change should not come as much of a surprise to fans and pundits, though, to beat reporter Damichael Cole, it could be viewed as a cause for concern regarding Jenkins’ ability to guide this team to the promised land.
During a recent episode of Locked on Grizzlies, Cole, along with his co-host Joe Mullinax, discussed the sideline reshuffling in-depth, and, though the seasoned reporter acknowledged that one could view this drastic decision as being something great coaches do when they “realize their weaknesses and work to correct them,” from a self-described “glass-half-empty” perspective, this significant turnover rate could actually be a much larger issue about Jenkins’ coaching security.
Grizzlies reporter reveals ‘glass-half-empty’ narrative of coaching facelift
“Then there’s the glass-half-empty [narrative]. If you need to make six new assistant hires, what is that saying about you? What if the results are pretty much similar to the previous results with the other assistants? Now the finger’s going to get pointed somewhere else and that’s going to be you, in Taylor Jenkins. He won’t be here much longer in Memphis if that’s the case.”
– Damichael Cole
Since being named the head coach of the Grizzlies back in 2019-20, Jenkins has collected 206 total wins, leaving him just nine shy of beating out Lionell Hollins’ top-ranked 214 victories. On top of this impressive total, he has guided Memphis to their only two Southwest Division titles in franchise history, three postseason appearances, and just their fourth semifinal berth since their establishment in 1995.
Yet, despite all these accomplishments, Cole believes that this overhaul now gears increased attention, both good and bad, toward the soon-to-be sixth-year head coach and his job security with the franchise going forward, as he suggests that, while 2024-25 was already seen as a “crucial” season for Jenkins “now it’s an even bigger one.”
