Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells was released from the hospital Wednesday following his scary injury in Tuesday's 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets., according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania reported Wells remains out indefinitely after his fall resulted in a broken right wrist.

With a little more than a minute left in the first half, the rookie beat the Hornets defense down the floor after a made free throw by Miles Bridges. He threw down a two-handed dunk but was thrown off-kilter thanks to contact from Charlotte's KJ Simpson, falling hard to the floor.

Wells was eventually placed onto a stretcher and taken off the court.

Fred Wells, Jaylen's father, provided an update on Tuesday night and said his son was "awake and alert." He had a "swollen wrist" along with pain in his face, jaw and back.

"It puts everything into perspective seeing that situation and to see Jaylen there," interim coach Tuomas Iisalo told reporters after the game. "He's an incredibly tough kid and had a great season."

The injury likely brings to an end the encouraging debut campaign from the second-round pick. He averaged 10.4 points on 42.5 percent shooting and started 74 games for the seventh-place Grizzlies.

With just three games left in the regular season, Iisalo will also have to tweak his rotation to account for Wells' absence. The team may now have to count on Vince Williams Jr. starting at the 3.

Memphis Grizzlies rookie forward Jaylen Wells provided a positive update on Instagram from the hospital after suffering injuries following a scary post-dunk fall during his team's 124-100 road win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Wells was stretchered off the court after suffering a hard fall following a second-quarter dunk.

Ashley Stroehlein of Sirius XM Sports Radio soon reported Wells was taken to a local hospital. Wells' agent Aman Dhesi relayed an update to ESPN's Shams Charania:

Fred Wells, Jaylen's father, provided an update on the player from the hospital:

Wells' legs were taken out from under him by Hornets guard KJ Simpson on a successful dunk attempt with 1:10 remaining in the first half. Wells got ahead of the defense, took a full-court pass from teammate Ja Morant and went up for the slam, which put the Grizzlies up 62-44.

However, Simpson was late defensively and knocked into Wells' right leg as he went up for the slam. Wells fell awkwardly and landed hard on the court on the right side of his body, with his head making contact with the floor. Simpson and then Morant and his Grizzlies teammates then quickly check on him before medical personnel rushed to assist the rookie.

Thankfully, Wells appeared to show movement as he was stretchered off the court, per Will Palaszczuk of Sports Radio WFNZ.

Simpson was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.

Wells, who was in the conversation for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award earlier this season, entered Tuesday averaging 10.5 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game.

He's started 73 of 78 contests for a Memphis team that entered the day in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Western Conference.

Simply put, he's been an exceptional addition to Memphis after being selected with a second-round pick (39th overall) in the 2024 NBA draft.

Most importantly, though, the hope is that Wells recovers to 100 percent health as soon as possible from the scary fall.

Ja Morant's decision to go back to the finger-gun gesture in the Memphis Grizzlies' 110-108 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday wound up costing him money.

The NBA announced on Friday that Morant received a $75,000 fine for "twice making an inappropriate gesture" on the court during a game after previously being warned that the gesture "could be interpreted in a negative light."

Morant previously made the gesture in the Grizzlies' game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Thursday that the league issued warnings to Morant, Warriors guard Buddy Hield, who made a similar gesture in the game, and both teams.

Charania noted the league ruled the "celebrations were not intended to be violent in nature but were inappropriate."

The warning seemed to prompt a response from Morant on X.

Morant made the same gesture in the first quarter against the Heat after making a three-pointer. He appeared to be directing it toward the Grizzlies bench as he was getting back on defense.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's game, Morant said he's "kind of used to" the criticism he's received in the wake of using the gesture.

"I was pretty much a villain for two years now," he explained. "Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it's going to be out there. So, yeah. I don't care no more."

Morant was suspended by the NBA twice in the span of three months in 2023 for gun-related incidents on social media. The first suspension was for eight games when he appeared to flash a gun on Instagram Live at a nightclub hours after a Grizzlies game against the Denver Nuggets.

The second suspension, announced in June 2023, covered the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after he flashed a gun again in an Instagram Live video that started circulating the previous month.

Thursday's incident overshadowed a terrific Morant performance. He scored 30 points, including the game-winning buzzer-beater, to help the Grizzlies snap their four-game losing streak.

While the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins represented a doubling down by the Memphis Grizzlies in star guard Ja Morant, some around the NBA are questioning his ultimate value, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Tim MacMahon and Michael C. Wright.

"There are doubts throughout the league about whether Morant, whose superstar ascension has been interrupted by off-court issues and injuries, can be the face of a contending franchise," the report said.

One general manager anonymously voiced their skepticism in the story.

"Does he sell tickets? Yes," the GM said. "Is he a top-25 player when healthy? Yes. Can he win multiple series as the best player? No. Not sure most years you can win even one. Plus he is always hurt."

The Grizzlies have made the playoffs three times with Morant on the squad, and they're poised to make their fourth trip this season. Still, fans are waiting for Memphis to turn the proverbial corner, and the failure to do so has been partially due to Morant.

The two-time All-Star was sidelined for the final three games of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals. The following year, the Grizzlies flamed out badly in the first round, a sobering result for a young roster that wasn't short on confidence.

Then came Morant's 25-game suspension to open the 2023-24 campaign, and he made only nine appearances before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

Letting Jenkins go with just nine games left in the regular season wasn't done at Morant's behest, but the team clearly had him in mind.

After Jenkins chose to lessen the offense's reliance on the pick-and-roll, The Athletic's Sam Amick, Fred Katz and Joe Vardon reported Morant "complained about the new scheme, which takes the ball out of his hands and removes the screens he likes to use as a ball handler to make plays."

One source added the 6'2" playmaker "hates the offense," which was evident in his effort level at times.

MacMahon said in the newest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast that the coaching change "was about optimizing Ja Morant."

Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo doesn't have a lot of time to implement new ideas with the team, so it may be tough to judge whether the Grizzlies have made any progress with Jenkins gone.

Should Memphis look flat en route to a quick postseason exit, though, it might warrant big-picture questions about Morant and the organization's direction.

Amid the ongoing turmoil after the sudden firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, the Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly planning on retaining key members of their core this offseason.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Tim MacMahon and Michael C. Wright reported that Grizzlies big men Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama are expected to receive contract extensions. Aldama is a restricted free agent this offseason, while the 2025-26 season is the final year on Jackson's current contract.

"Memphis is committed to extending Jackson and Aldama this summer, sources said," Shelburne, MacMahon and Wright wrote.

It was also noted that star point guard Ja Morant likely won't be going anywhere, as general manager Zach Kleiman "publicly denied trade rumors and affirmed the commitment to Morant in February."

Jackson, who earned his second career All-Star selection this season, is tied with Morant with a team-high 22.4 points per game while adding 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks.

Aldama has emerged as a key depth piece for Memphis while averaging career highs of 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

The Grizzlies rank fifth in the Western Conference at 44-31, so it's not all doom-and-gloom in Memphis. Retaining Jackson and Aldama this summer would solidify the team's frontcourt for years to come.

Prior to the firing of Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, there was feeling that star point guard Ja Morant was getting traded prior to the Feb. 6 deadline.

"I was texting with a GM after this happened and he said, 'I would have told you, I thought they were definitely going to,'" ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on The Hoop Collective (21:30 mark). "'Ja was out on them. They won games without him. They have to be sustainable.'"

The Grizzlies made the surprising decision to part ways with Jenkins on Friday despite owning a 44-29 record and sitting at No. 5 in the Western Conference standings at the time. They also had a mere nine games remaining in the regular season.

According to Sam Amick, Fred Katz and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Morant took issue with Jenkins' offensive system that took "the ball out of his hands and removes the screens he likes to use as a ball handler."

NBA insider Marc Stein also reported that there have been "rumbles circulating" that the point guard wanted Memphis to run "way more pick-and-roll than it does" instead of the team's "motion-based offense."

Stein noted that the Grizzlies' schemes were "mandated" by the front office, though.

Assistant Tuomas Iisalo has taken over as Memphis' interim coach.

He was "essentially viewed as a pick-and-roll expert" when he first joined Jenkins' staff, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman previously called trade rumors involving Morant "nonsense" after the deadline passed.

The 25-year-old has appeared in just 44 games this season due to hamstring and shoulder injuries, averaging 22.3 points and 7.5 assists per game on 44.7/28.9/83.0 shooting splits.

While the Grizzlies are attempting to clinch their fourth playoff berth in five seasons, Morant's long-term future with the organization wasn't viewed as secure heading into the deadline.

The Memphis Grizzlies apparently weren't satisfied with their offense under head coach Taylor Jenkins despite being one of the NBA's highest-scoring teams.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Monday on the Hoop Collective podcast the surprising decision to fire Jenkins "was about optimizing Ja Morant."

"That was a primary motivator for this decision," MacMahon said. "Look, there has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long. There has been noise about could Memphis look to move Ja this summer. More so, could Ja look to get out of Memphis this summer? Could Ja look to force a trade or at least request a trade? Would Memphis shop him this summer?"

The Athletic's Sam Amick, Fred Katz and Joe Vardon pointed to a similar rationale when they provided the initial insights into a firing almost nobody saw coming.

They detailed how Memphis has leaned much less on the pick-and-roll, which "was a point of contention as this season progressed." The team's floor general was among those who were unhappy with the change.

"But when he’s been on the court, according to a league source, Morant has complained about the new scheme, which takes the ball out of his hands and removes the screens he likes to use as a ball-handler to make plays," per The Athletic.

Amick, Katz and Vardon also cited one source who said Morant's body language seems to be up and down on a given night in part "because he hates the offense."

Showing Jenkins the door was a bold call. Memphis had just nine games left in the regular season at the time of his dismissal, and the team isn't in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. At 44-30, the Grizzlies are fifth in the Western Conference and 1.5 games ahead of the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves to avoid the play-in tournament.

But there isn't necessarily a wrong time to fire a head coach who has lost the faith of the roster and the front office.

While nobody can see into the future, general manager Zach Kleiman clearly came to believe an early playoff exit beckoned if Jenkins remained the head coach. Even if he has little time to get his ideas across to the players, Tuomas Iisalo changes the equation a bit as the interim replacement.

Whether Iisalo stays on as the permanent head coach or not, the change also looks like a signal to Morant about how much the Grizzlies are still invested in him.

Despite speculation that Ja Morant may have been unhappy with some of the developments under Taylor Jenkins, the Memphis Grizzlies star expressed how "tough" it was to see the previous head coach fired.

"It's tough for me," Morant said following Saturday's 134-127 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, per William Guillory of The Athletic. "I've had Coach Taylor since I got here. Everything I've done in a Grizzlies jersey has pretty much been under him. It's my first time really experiencing a coach leaving since I've been hooping. It was a lot to process. With the timing, it's just tough. We had to quickly turn the page."

Memphis fired Jenkins on Friday even though it is in playoff position in the Western Conference standings.

Interim coach Tuomas Iisalo will presumably lead the way for the rest of the regular season and into the postseason, although things didn't get off to an ideal start during the loss to the Lakers in the team's first game since firing Jenkins.

Moran't comments come after Sam Amick, Fred Katz and Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported Saturday that the guard "complained" that Jenkins' system took "the ball out of his hands and removes the screens he likes to use as a ball handler to make plays."

NBA insider Marc Stein added that, "There have certainly been rumbles circulating that Morant wants Memphis running way more pick-and-roll than it does and that he does not vibe with the Grizzlies' new motion-based offense … but those schemes were not conceived by Jenkins. They were schematic alterations mandated by the front office."

Jenkins and Morant started together with the Grizzlies, as the team hired the coach prior to the 2019-20 campaign and selected the franchise cornerstone with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 draft.

Memphis has made the playoffs three times since, although it won just one playoff series during that run. Things also started to trend in the wrong direction this season prior to the firing, as it was 2-5 in the previous seven games before deciding to move on from Jenkins.

The Grizzlies are now in the fifth seed in the West and one game behind the Lakers in the race for home-court advantage. Yet they are also just 1.5 games clear of the cut line for the play-in tournament, which could become a problem if they continue to play poorly.

It will be up to Morant to turn things around with new leadership on the sidelines.

The shoving incident between Memphis Grizzlies teammates Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama earlier this week during a game against the Utah Jazz reportedly stemmed from an argument.

Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, Fred Katz and Joe Vardon, Bane questioned Aldama's effort level in the huddle during a timeout.

"Are you gonna f--king guard anybody?" Bane yelled at Aldama in a rhetorical manner, to which Aldama replied "f--k you."

"No, f--k you," Bane answered back.

The incident was captured on video and circulated online. Bane appears to be yelling "get a f--king stop" at Aldama after shoving him.

Tensions seem to be running high in Memphis right now due to the team's recent struggles. Head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired on Friday, with assistant Tuomas Iisalo serving as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The Grizzlies struggled early against the Jazz, trailing 65-64 at halftime, but they rode a huge second-half performance to get a 140-103 victory.

Since moving into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings on Feb. 27, the Grizzlies have lost nine of their last 15 games. They are currently tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth in the conference.

Memphis hasn't defeated a team that currently has a winning record since Feb. 2 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Grizzlies are on the verge of securing a playoff spot for the fourth time in the past five seasons. They have only advanced past the first round once in their last six playoff appearances dating back to the 2015-16 season.

Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman told reporters on Saturday that he did not consult players before deciding to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games remaining in the regular season.

Memphis announced Friday that Jenkins had been fired.

"I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons," Kleiman said. "This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward."

Memphis is currently 44-29, good enough for a fourth-place tie in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Jenkins firing was surprising, both considering the team's success this year and the fact that only nine games remain before the playoffs. Memphis is almost certainly headed to the postseason, so shaking things up right beforehand is a shock.

However, Kleiman believes the time was right to make a change.

The Grizzlies front office had notably fired five of Jenkins' assistants after the 2023-24 season, a 27-55 campaign marred by a host of injuries.

Sam Amick of The Athletic provided more information.

"While Jenkins consulted with the front-office on the hires for six replacements to his staff, those final interactions between Jenkins and the assistants he was forced to fire, league sources say, would set an uneasy tone for the season to come," Amick wrote. "As some close to the Grizzlies saw the situation, it was only a matter of time before Jenkins would be gone, too."

Amick also pointed to the team's record against winning squads as well as Jenkins' playoff record with the team since he took over as head coach in 2019.

"This talent-laden team, dubbed the Western Conference’s next great young squad not long ago, fell off in recent years," Amick wrote. "A subpar playoff record (9-14) and record against .500-plus teams this season (11-20) clearly hurt Jenkins’ cause, with league sources indicating the Grizzlies’ most recent struggles were the main reason he was fired."

Memphis has gone 9-13 in its last 22 games, and there is the possibility that the team could slide out of the top six and find itself fighting for a playoff berth via the play-in tournament. The Grizzlies have gone 2-5 in their last seven games, and those defeats were by an average of 15.2 points. Memphis hasn't defeated a team with a winning record since Feb. 2.

Jenkins' career record with Memphis stands at 250-214, with three playoff appearances in six teams. Assistant Tuomas Iisalo has taken over as interim head coach.