Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies have their new head coach.

They announced Friday that interim coach Tuomas Iisalo is being installed as the full-time head coach after he replaced Taylor Jenkins, whom they fired in late March.

"I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Grizzlies going forward," team president and general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. "Tuomas' teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis."

Under Iisalo, the Grizzlies went 4-5 to close the regular season before being swept by the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Ja Morant's series-ending hip contusion in Game 3 didn't help the team's cause.

Overall, the Grizzlies finished the regular season 48-34, reaching the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five years.

Memphis has a solid core group in Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., though the trio hasn't quite been able to get over the hump. Some roster tweaking could be in order this offseason, but Morant gave Iisalo a vote of confidence heading into the summer:

The timing of Jenkins' firing—after establishing himself the winningest coach in franchise history—was quite surprising, though Memphis' front office may have always had an Iisalo succession plan in place. As The Athletic's William Guillory noted in early April, the organization "paid a lucrative buyout to lure Iisalo from Paris Basketball of LNB Élite" and also "forced Jenkins to fire several assistants he worked with for years ahead of the 2024-25 season to make room for Iisalo and several others tasked with reshaping the Grizzlies’ offensive attack."

The Grizzlies had also lost eight of 11 games at the time of Jenkins' firing.

Now, Iisalo will have to prove that the immense faith the franchise has put in him—from his expensive hiring as an assistant to his interim tag and now the full-time position as head coach—was justified.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will reportedly miss Saturday's Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a hip injury, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The two-time All-Star exited Memphis' 114-108 Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder following a scary fall in the second quarter. He went up for a dunk when contact by the Thunder's Luguentz Dort caused him to land hard on the court.

The Grizzlies said Morant suffered a hip injury, and he was using crutches and in street clothes when he returned from the locker room.

The impact of his absence was evident as Memphis squandered a 29-point lead, mustering just 31 points in the second half.

Most fans wrote off the Grizzlies after they dropped Game 1 by 51. Even at full strength, they're simply not good enough to match up with the top-seeded Thunder. Between falling into an 0-3 hole and the injury to Morant, this series could be headed for a quick sweep.

Looking beyond the playoffs, Morant's durability is an even bigger concern for the organization.

As much as his Game 3 fall was a freak accident, the 25-year-old hasn't logged 70-plus appearances in a single season, and this was the third straight postseason in which he was hurt.

Morant is electric when he's healthy. He averaged 23.2 points and 7.3 assists in 2024-25. But the injuries have been too voluminous to chalk up only to coincidence or bad luck.

The shocking ouster of head coach Taylor Jenkins was partially about the Grizzlies reaffirming their commitment to their cornerstone talent. They have to hope Morant won't continue to be as snakebitten as he has throughout his NBA career.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is uncertain for Saturday's potential elimination game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after being ruled out for the remainder of Thursday's game with a hip injury.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Morant "was spotted on crutches in the tunnel by Memphis' bench during the fourth quarter."

"He's going through further evaluations tomorrow," said Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, per MacMahon.

Morant suffered the injury in the second quarter after being undercut by Thunder guard Lu Dort and taking a hard fall in the paint.

Morant has dealt with injuries on-and-off during the season. Right hip soreness in November kept him out for eight straight games. An AC joint sprain sidelined Morant for five consecutive contests in late December and early January.

Lingering right shoulder soreness has permeated since, notably costing him two straight games in early March. He returned on March 5 in a 120-103 road loss to the Thunder but admitted postgame that he shouldn't have played.

Morant notably suffered a season-ending subluxation during a January 2024 practice, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

So he's been dealing with a host of physical ailments but has still remained productive, averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds this year for the Grizzlies.

Without Morant, the Grizzlies have turned to Luke Kennard to fill the void in the backcourt. The onus falls more on Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. to assume more usage in Morant's absence as well.

If Morant misses any time moving forward, the Grizzlies could be in trouble in their first-round series against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, which entered Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead.

Ja Morant was able to smile through the pain of a sprained ankle after the Memphis Grizzlies earned the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 120-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in tournament on Friday night.

Speaking to reporters after the victory, Morant called this ankle injury "more difficult" than others due to the high-pressure nature of playing in a win-or-go-home game two days after it occured:

"Obviously, regular-season games, it's not win or go home. So, this one was way more difficult—the whole process, like, learning what I would have to do to be able to get out there. I was kind of questioning it, but with our staff, the doctors, they gave me all the info I needed and [in the] simplest terms so I will understand. From that point, it was pretty much easy. I wanted to be on the floor. I wanted to play this game and get the win."

Morant rolled his ankle late in the third quarter when he landed on Buddy Hield's foot coming down on a shot attempt in Memphis' loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. He was able to return in the fourth quarter, but his status going forward was uncertain.

The Grizzlies held Morant out of Thursday's practice and officially listed him as a game-time decision against the Mavs. He was able to suit up for tipoff, though it remained to be seen how effective he would be.

It wasn't Morant's best game, as he shot just 7-of-24 from the field. The two-time All-Star was able to play 33 minutes, dishing out nine assists, grabbing seven rebounds and recording three steals.

Morant, who received a pain-killing injection for the injury, said after the game he would leave any decisions about more injections going forward to the medical staff.

"That's a question for somebody else. I'm going to be out there regardless," Morant said.

There's not much time for Morant to rest his ankle before getting back on the court. The Grizzlies will play Game 1 of their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.