Ja Morant

Grizzlies Notes: Defense, Jackson, Iisalo, Aldama, Morant

April 4th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies‘ offense has been under the spotlight since Taylor Jenkins‘ ouster last week due to the massive changes the coaching staff made to its system coming into the season and the steps the team has taken recently to undo some of those changes. However, the Grizzlies’ play on the defensive side of the ball has been a bigger issue during the club’s recent slide, William Guillory of The Athletic wrote this week after the Warriors put up 134 points against Memphis in a Tuesday win.

The Grizzlies performed better defensively in Thursday’s win over Miami, but a unit that had the NBA’s seventh-best defensive rating prior to the All-Star break has still ranked just 20th in the league since then.

Although Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. missed five games during that stretch due to an ankle sprain, the team’s decline in effectiveness on that end of the court can’t be chalked up to being without its top rim protector for a little over a week. Jackson has posted a 115.2 defensive rating during his time on the court since the All-Star break, compared to a 106.4 pre-All-Star mark.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Who exactly is new Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo? In another story for The Athletic, Guillory profiles Jenkins’ replacement, noting that the Finnish assistant was a relative unknown to most NBA fans before his promotion last week. “He’s a really smart guy. No bulls–t,” Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane said. “It’s all about winning and how you get there. Nothing else really matters. He’s not a man of many words if you ain’t talking about basketball.”
The Grizzlies and Santi Aldama didn’t agree to a rookie scale extension prior to the 2024/25 season, but locking up the forward in restricted free agency this summer is reportedly a priority for the front office. Speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Aldama said he wasn’t bothered by putting off contract talks until the 2025 offseason. “Yeah, figure it out later,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to be somewhere where we’re winning and where we’re fighting for the right stuff. I think here, we got a great thing going. We have a great relationship here, so I would love for it to keep that way. I’m just focusing on taking it day by day, getting better day by day. And that stuff will take care of itself.”
In case you missed it, Grizzlies star Ja Morant was fined $75K earlier today for making finger-gun gestures during Thursday’s game in Miami. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explains why the NBA hit Morant with a fine for that gesture even though there are several players around the league who perform similar celebrations.

Ja Morant Fined $75K For Finger-Gun Gestures

April 4th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant was fined $75K for making finger-gun gestures during Thursday’s game at Miami, the NBA announced (via Twitter). The statement from the league notes that the Grizzlies guard was warned about the gestures earlier this week.

Morant displayed the gesture (Twitter link) multiple times on Thursday, according to James Jackson, Will Guillory and Alex Andrejev of The Athletic. He did it after scoring his first basket midway through the first quarter and again after hitting a three-pointer in the third quarter.

Guns are a sensitive issue regarding Morant, who was twice suspended for displaying a firearm in social media videos. The NBA didn’t punish him after he and Warriors guard Buddy Hield exchanged the gestures during Tuesday’s game, but he was asked to refrain from using it again, according to Jackson, Guillory and Andrejev.

Sources tell the authors that representatives from the league reached out to both teams, calling the gestures inappropriate and instructing them to tell Morant and Hield to stop. The teams reportedly argued that the gestures aren’t intended to promote violence.

Morant talked about the finger-gun celebrations and his perception around the league after hitting a dramatic game-winning shot to beat Miami.

“Every little thing,” he said. “If somebody can say something negative about me, it’s going to be out there. I don’t care no more. … I’m used to it. I’ve pretty much been a villain for two years now.”

He also said “I love it” when asked about playing the villain role.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Hield, Morant, Curry, Kawhi

April 2nd, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Wednesday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link) about possible offseason trade destinations for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Shams Charania said there was mutual interest between the Suns‘ star and a handful of potential suitors ahead of February’s trade deadline. According to Charania, that list of teams included the Timberwolves, Knicks, Rockets, Spurs, and Heat.

“Those are the types of teams, from my understanding, that had interest then,” Charania said. “And I expect them all to be in the mix this offseason.”

Charania didn’t explicitly mention the Warriors, but that’s likely due to the fact that Durant was known to be resistant to a Golden State reunion in February. If his stance changes this summer, it’s possible the Warriors could once again emerge as a suitor.

One report this week suggested that Durant is open to the idea of returning to Phoenix next season, but a trade still appears to be the most likely outcome. Unlike in February when the Suns unilaterally gauged the market for the veteran forward without consulting him, the team and Durant’s camp would likely work together on any deal this offseason, Charania notes.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

The NBA is looking into an incident from Tuesday’s Warriors/Grizzlies game when Golden State sharpshooter Buddy Hield and Memphis guard Ja Morant aimed finger-gun gestures at one another, according to Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. A video of that brief interaction can be found here (via Twitter). The NBA has fined players for that gesture in the past and is likely especially sensitive to this case since Morant has been suspended twice in the past for waving around an actual gun in social media videos.
Stephen Curry racked up 52 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and five steals in the Warriors‘ win over Memphis on Tuesday and told reporters after the game that he feels rejuvenated after taking a week off to recover from a pelvic injury in March, per ESPN. “I feel in a good rhythm,” Curry said. “The week off helped. The tank is pretty full.” Steve Kerr said a couple weeks ago that he wanted to get Curry some rest, but the Warriors coach no longer seems as concerned about his star guard’s condition. “I think (the week off) helped and I think two rounds of golf on this road trip helped,” Kerr said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
After missing the first two-plus months of the season while recovering from a knee procedure and then playing on a minutes limit for several more weeks after that, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has recaptured his All-NBA form, having averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with a .521/.397/.825 shooting line in 13 March outings. Law Murray of The Athletic takes a look at Leonard’s resurgence and the 33-year-old’s desire to enter the offseason healthy.

Grizzlies Rumors: Coaching Change, Morant, Jackson, Aldama, More

April 1st, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

When Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman held a brief media session over the weekend to discuss his decision to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins, he said he believes the coaching change will give the team “clarity of direction.” As Ramona Shelburne, Tim MacMahon and Michael C. Wright write for ESPN.com, that was almost certainly a reference to an offensive system that was overhauled ahead of the season and has continued to undergo changes since then.

Jenkins had been tasked this season with overseeing and blending the competing visions of newcomers Tuomas Iisalo and Noah LaRoche, according to ESPN’s trio, who note that both assistant coaches received seven-figure salaries when they were hired. Memphis also reportedly paid a seven-figure buyout to Paris Basketball in order to secure Iisalo, whose system leaned on pick-and-roll schemes, pacing, offensive rebounding, and transition offense; LaRoche’s system prioritized spacing and relocations while mostly eschewing pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs.

“They were going all-in on these new concepts,” one source told ESPN.

The fact that the Grizzlies were deferring so heavily to a pair of new assistants after overhauling Jenkins’ coaching staff signaled to others in the organization, including the players, that the head coach was on the hot seat entering the season.

“Players aren’t stupid,” another source told ESPN. “They know where this is heading when you fire five assistants after the season.”

The short-term returns on the offensive changes were positive, as the Grizzlies got off to a 35-16 start and led the NBA in scoring, pace, and offensive rebounding while ranking dead last in ball screens per game. However, as Shelburne, MacMahon, and Wright detail, opponents began adjusting to Memphis’ new system and star guard Ja Morant expressed frustration both publicly and privately about the way in which the ball had been taken out of his hands.

The Grizzlies began running significantly more ball screens and handoffs in March, but the decision to move on from both Jenkins and LaRoche suggests the Grizzlies felt there were too many cooks in the kitchen and wanted to give Iisalo – the new interim head coach – the opportunity to simplify the offense this spring.

Addressing the coaching change in an episode of ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast this week (YouTube link), MacMahon stated that the move was about “optimizing” Morant.

“That was a primary motivator for this decision,” MacMahon said (hat tip to RealGM). “There has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long. There has been noise about, ‘Hey, you know, could Memphis look to move Ja this summer?’ More so, ‘Could Ja look to get out of Memphis this summer? Could Ja look to to force a trade, or at least request a trade? And would Memphis shop him this summer?’ There’s been a lot of that.

“I was texting with a GM after (the coaching change) happened and he said, ‘I would have told you I thought they were definitely going to (shop Morant). Ja was out on them. They won games without him. They have to be sustainable.’ And he said, ‘This is a move that goes in the face of that.’ Basically this is a, ‘Hey Ja, you’re still our guy. Everything we do is going to be based on what’s best for you. What optimizes you.’ They got away from that for a lot of this season and they’re leaning back hard into it.”

Besides the concerns about the offense, there was also a belief in Memphis that Jenkins had lost the locker room and that players – including Morant – were tuning out the team’s longtime head coach, ESPN’s trio reports. One rival Western Conference player told ESPN that the Grizzlies had “lost all of (their) swagger,” while a team source added, “You could just tell no one was on the same page.”

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

Kleiman publicly shot down trade speculation involving Morant last month, and the steps the team is taking to “optimize” him show those comments weren’t just lip service. However, there are still doubts around the NBA about whether the star point guard can lead a team to a title, according to Shelburne, MacMahon, and Wright. “Does he sell tickets? Yes,” one rival GM told ESPN. “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 are “committed” to extending Jaren Jackson Jr. and re-signing restricted free agent Santi Aldama this offseason, sources tell ESPN.
Within ESPN’s report, Shelburne, MacMahon, and Wright cite sources who say Draymond Green came close to signing with Memphis when he reached free agency in 2023. That isn’t new information, but a source close to Green insists the longtime Warrior wasn’t just using the Grizzlies as leverage, telling ESPN that he came “very” close to ending up in Memphis via a lucrative sign-and-trade deal. As ESPN’s trio details, the Grizzlies believed Green’s “experience, basketball intelligence and toughness” was just what they needed as they lost Dillon Brooks and dealt with the aftermath of Morant’s suspensions for off-court behavior.
After failing to land Green, Memphis added Marcus Smart instead, but that acquisition didn’t work out as planned due in large part to Smart’s recurring injury issues — he was traded away in a salary-dump deal last month. Since missing out on Green and losing Brooks, the club has also attempted to acquire Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith, sources confirm to ESPN, but was unable to land either player.

Southwest Notes: Gafford, Lively, Morant, Bane, Aldama, Borrego

March 30th, 2025 at 8:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks, who hold the ninth spot in the Western Conference, are getting healthy just in time for a possible postseason berth.

Center Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain) has been upgraded to probable for Monday’s matchup against the Nets, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal tweets. Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) is considered questionable to play.

As we noted on Saturday, Gafford, who has shared starting duties with Lively this season, sustained a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his right knee on February 10 and has been on the shelf for the Mavericks’ past 21 games. Lively hasn’t played since January 14, having suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is no longer listed on the injury report, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Memphis faces the red-hot Celtics on Monday. Morant missed two weeks of action due to a hamstring injury before returning on Saturday, when he racked up 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 31 minutes in a loss to the Lakers.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane said there’s no lingering effects from his altercation with teammate Santi Aldama during the team’s win over Utah on Tuesday. Bane shoved Aldama during a timeout and reportedly called out the forward for his defensive effort. “Two competitors,” Bane told Jonah Dylan of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We’re scratching and clawing against a Utah team on the road. We’re trying to push each other to be better. And that was pretty much that. I probably took it too far. I love Santi. He was in my wedding, I’ll be in his wedding. We talked right on the bench right after, hugged it out in the locker room and everything’s great.”
In an ironic twist, James Borrego filled in for head coach Willie Green on Sunday when the Pelicans faced for Hornets, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Green missed the contest due to personal reasons. Borrego was Charlotte’s head coach from 2018-22.

Grizzlies Players React To ‘Surprising’ Coaching Change

March 30th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Rory Maher

Desmond Bane and the Grizzlies‘ other on-court leaders held a players-only meeting after Saturday’s shootaround to discuss the team’s decision to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins, who was replaced on an interim basis by Tuomas Iisalo, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

The challenge now is finding a way to move forward with the regular season nearly over — Memphis only has eight games remaining on its schedule.

“I just wanted them to get out all their raw emotions. Don’t hold nothing back. Let it all out, and that way we can truly move forward,” Bane said. “I told them we have a really talented group and we can still do some special things. Tuomas is a really smart guy, and we should buy into what he’s trying to do, and then see what we can do these last few games and beyond.”

Star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to action on Saturday against the Lakers after missing the past six games with a hamstring strain, admitted he found the news difficult to digest.

“It’s tough for me. I’ve had Coach Taylor since I got here. Everything I’ve done in a Grizzlies jersey has pretty much been under him,” Morant said after the game. “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.”

“That’s my dog. That will forever be my dog,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said of Jenkins, per Wendell Shepherd Jr. of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “It was surprising. It would have been surprising at any point. He had a great impact while he was here. He’s gonna be one of the more sought-after coaches in his journey elsewhere and deservedly so.”

The players realize that their poor results since the All-Star break likely contributed to Jenkins’ dismissal. The Grizzlies have now lost 10 straight games against teams with winning records, Guillory notes, including dropping Saturday’s contest to Los Angeles.

“It’s on us for sure,” Bane said, according to Shepherd. “We’re the five players out there, Coach didn’t shoot one shot. A lot of times, coaches end up taking the fall, but ultimately it’s the players. … I think we all were (shocked). We gotta win basketball games at the end of the day.”

Here are a few more notes on the Grizzlies:

In his first game in 15 days, Morant recorded 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 31 minutes, though he shot just 9-of-23 from the field. After the loss, he discussed the hamstring injury which caused his latest absence, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Obviously being out a stretch, for me, it be tough,” Morant said. “I be wanting to be out there on the floor. … Sometimes you just got to be smart about it. I don’t want too much stuff lingering when it comes time to lock in for good.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, Iisalo acknowledged the challenging situation he’s been put in to close out the season, describing it as a “scramble” to get adjusted, per Guillory. He also said “no big changes are coming” to the team’s on-court approach. As Guillory observes, clearly head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman was looking for a spark to finish out 2024/25, but it’s hard to see how Iisalo’s performance can reasonably be evaluated given the truncated timeline.
Along those same lines, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (subscription required) examines whether the coaching change came too late in the season. Iisalo has an impressive international résumé, but it will be extremely difficult to try and turn the tide of the season with only a couple of weeks left in the regular season. The Grizzlies are currently 44-30, the No. 5 seed in the West, but have gone just 8-12 since the All-Star break and have a pretty tough schedule over their final eight games.

Grizzlies GM Says Coaching Change Was Entirely His Decision

March 29th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

In a brief session with reporters on Saturday, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman accepted sole responsibility for the decision to dismiss head coach Taylor Jenkins, but he didn’t explain why he felt a coaching change was necessary, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Kleiman spoke for less than three minutes during the team’s shootaround (Twitter video link), stating that he didn’t talk with any players before opting to replace Jenkins. It was his first public comment since the move was announced.

“I came to the conclusion that this is in the best interest of the team, and urgency is a core principle of ours, so decided to go on with the move,” Kleiman said. “… The players were not consulted on this decision. This decision is mine and mine only.”

McMenamin notes that hiring Jenkins was one of Kleiman’s first major decisions after being put in charge of the front office in 2019. Jenkins leaves as the winningest coach in franchise history, compiling a 250-214 regular season record, but he had limited success in the playoffs, winning just one series.

The Grizzlies are in the midst of a 9-13 slide after starting the season 35-16 and rising as high as second in the West. They are currently tied with the Lakers at 44-29 and face a difficult schedule the rest of the way as they try to avoid the play-in tournament.

Kleiman opened his remarks by thanking Jenkins for his years of service to the organization and saying that he has a bright future in the NBA, according to Jonah Dylan of The Commercial Appeal.

“Taylor made very significant contributions to this team on the court and off the court during his six years here,” Kleiman said. “Leaves the team in a much better position than when we started. Great person and a great coach, and he’s going to be a great coach in this league for a long time.”

There have been rumors that star guard Ja Morant has been unhappy with changes to the offense that emphasize movement over screens, leading to him playing off the ball more often than in past seasons. Responding to a question about Morant, Kleiman reiterated that the move wasn’t made in response to player complaints, per William Guillory of The Athletic.

“I’m focused on how we operate. I’m responsible for everything. I’m responsible for coaching. I’m responsible for the roster. I’m not trying to absolve myself of anything. I’m excited to see what this team can do the rest of the way,” Kleiman said. “This is the conclusion I came to that this is in the best interest of the team and we push forward with this group.”

Assistant Tuomas Iisalo was named interim coach in the wake of Jenkins’ firing and will guide the team for the first time tonight in a showdown with the Lakers. Kleiman refused to say whether the rest of the season and the playoffs will be an audition for Iisalo to become the permanent coach.

“Looking forward to seeing what he is able to do with this group,” Kleiman said. “There is realistic expectations. There’s not going to be time to install a bunch of things this time of the year. My expectations are clarity of direction, and we’ll see what we can do, we’ll see what we can execute.”

Grizzlies Rumors: Jenkins, Bane, Aldama, Morant, Iisalo, LaRoche

March 29th, 2025 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

Taylor Jenkins‘ dismissal as the Grizzlies‘ head coach on Friday came as a major surprise, especially given the timing and the fact that he was under contract beyond this season. However, the team’s decision to overhaul his coaching staff a year ago was among the first signs that Jenkins’ days in Memphis may be numbered, according to Sam Amick, Fred Katz, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Last July, executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman and his front office unilaterally decided to replace five of Jenkins’ assistants: Blake Ahearn, Brad Jones, Scoonie Penn, Sonia Raman and Vitaly Potapenko. Team and league sources tell The Athletic that Jenkins became emotional during his final exchanges with those outgoing coaches, and while he had consulted with the front office on the new hires, those last interactions with his former assistants set an “uneasy tone” for the 2024/25 season, per Amick, Katz, and Vardon.

That coaching overhaul may have signaled a declining level of organizational support for Jenkins, but the Grizzlies’ inconsistent play in the second half of this season and against playoff teams was the main reason he was let go, according to The Athletic’s reporting.

Memphis has gone just 9-13 since starting the season 35-16 and has lost nine games in a row to teams at or above. 500, with an average margin of defeat of 12.8 points per game in those contests.

The defensive drop-off during the recent slump has been troubling, Amick, Katz, and Vardon say — the Grizzlies have a defensive rating of 116.7 in their last 22 games, 19th in the NBA, after playing at a top-five level for much of the first half, and league sources tell The Athletic that the organization “worried greatly about buy-in.”

Even in the team’s only win for the last two weeks, a Tuesday blowout of the Jazz, Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama had an altercation on the bench, exchanging shoves after Bane called out Aldama’s defensive effort, according to a source who spoke to The Athletic.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

A Memphis offense once built around pick-and-rolls now sets fewer screens than any other NBA team and relies more on “clever cutting and off-ball movement,” according to The Athletic’s reporters, who say that the offensive changes came in large part from the new assistants. Star point guard Ja Morant hasn’t been a huge fan of the changes, since he’s playing off the ball more and seeing fewer pick-and-roll opportunities. “Some days he looks like he’s ready to play, and some days he looks like he doesn’t want to be there … because he hates the offense,” one league source tells The Athletic.
The Athletic’s report credits assistants like Tuomas Iisalo and Noah LaRoche with playing pivotal roles in introducing the new offensive system while noting that Jenkins had recently begun reinstalling some of the screen plays Morant likes to run. It’s unclear, then, what sort of message the front office is sending by firing both Jenkins and LaRoche while elevating Iisalo to the role of interim head coach.
League sources tell The Athletic that Morant was upset about the decision to let go of Ahearn last summer and that he “remained supportive” of Jenkins until his firing on Friday.
The Grizzlies paid an above-market salary – along with a buyout – in order to hire Iisalo away from Paris Basketball in 2024, according to Amick, Katz, and Vardon. Paris reportedly liked Iisalo’s offense so much that the team made it a requirement when seeking his replacement that the new coach wouldn’t be allowed to change the system.
Kleiman put out a statement last month strongly refuting the idea that the Grizzlies would consider trading Morant this summer, but firing the only head coach Morant has ever played for will likely reignite speculation about the guard’s long-term future in Memphis, per Amick, Katz, and Vardon. For what it’s worth, two league executives who spoke to The Athletic questioned how much demand there would be for Morant on the trade market, given his injury history, his past off-court transgressions, and a dip in production this season.

Grizzlies Notes: Spencer, Assistant Coaches, Jenkins, Kleiman

March 28th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Two-way Grizzlies rookie guard Cam Spencer has seen an uptick in minutes of late. The UConn alum has thrived in his expanded rotation role with the club. The 6’3″ pro spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about how he’s relishing the extra run.

“As a competitor, you want to get as many minutes as you can to help contribute to winning for the team,” Spencer said. “It’s the NBA, so guys are in and out of the rotation. It’s cliché, but you do have to control what you can control a lot of times. With injuries and moving pieces, sometimes you get 20 minutes a game, and sometimes you get none or five minutes where the team needs a spark, so you really have to control what you can. You continue to work hard, control your attitude, and be ready when your number is called.”

Spencer reflected on the realities of life on a two-way contract, where young players are toggled between teams’ NBA and G League affiliate rosters.

“As a two-way player, your schedule is changing by the hour at times,” Spencer said. “You will literally be on a road trip, maybe going to practice or planning to go to practice, and then you get a call, and you have to leave the city within an hour to get back to the Grizzlies from being with the Hustle (Memphis’ G League affiliate). You play in the Hustle game for 30 minutes, then come back up top, and maybe you only get a few minutes. It’s a lot of just staying ready for your opportunities when they come, and that’s a lot of the NBA, especially on the two-way contract.”

Across 20 NBA games with the Grizzlies, Spencer has averaged 3.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.3 APG in 10.0 MPG. He has a solid .421/.371/1.000 shooting line.

There’s more out of Memphis:

In addition to firing head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday, the Grizzlies have let go a pair of his assistants. Sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Shams Charania (Twitter link) that assistant coaches Noah LaRoche and Patrick St. Andrews were also axed. MacMahon notes that LaRoche had been a key contributor to the Grizzlies’ new offensive approach in 2024/25. Another one of Jenkins’ assistants, Tuomas Iisalo, was promoted to serve as his replacement in an interim capacity.
Although the decision to move on from Jenkins may have seemed sudden, fissures had apparently been forming for a while, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Grizzlies let Jenkins go after having lost four of their last five contests. A source tells Cole that several Memphis players were “shocked” to hear the news. Tensions had also developed between rookie center Zach Edey and Jenkins, according to Cole, who notes that the rookie had been removed from the starting lineup for the Grizzlies’ last three games. “[General manager Zach Kleiman] blamed Taylor,” a source told Cole. “Taylor blamed Zach. No one takes accountability for absolutely anything.”
In case you missed it, injured two-time All-Star Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is considered “day-to-day” to return from a left hamstring strain that has cost him Memphis’ last six games. He’s listed as questionable to play vs. the Lakers on Saturday.

Latest On Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham Injuries

March 28th, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant missed a sixth consecutive game on Thursday vs. Oklahoma City due to a left hamstring strain. As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters on Thursday – before being fired by the team on Friday – that Morant is in the “day-to-day phase” of his recovery and is aiming to return soon.

“He’s been progressing in his on-court workouts,” Jenkins said. “It’s a matter of hitting top-end speeds to make sure that hamstring is in a good place when he’s comfortable enough to return. … He’s working his tail off to get back out there. We’re excited to get him back out there. He is, too.”

Morant has battled injuries, including a series of shoulder issues, all year long and has appeared in only 43 of Memphis’ 73 games this season. The club has a 28-15 record in those contests and has gone just 16-14 when its star point guard is unavailable.

Having Morant as much as possible down the stretch would be big for the Grizzlies, who are in the midst of a competitive race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. At 44-29, they’re tied with the Lakers for the fourth-best record in the conference and have a 2.5-game cushion on the Clippers and Warriors, who are both 41-31.

Meanwhile, over in the East, another star point guard is on the shelf for a team battling for a top-four spot in the playoffs. Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will miss a third consecutive game on Friday vs. Cleveland due to a left calf injury.

According to a press release from the team (Twitter link), Cunningham underwent an MRI on his affected calf, which confirmed that he’s dealing with a contusion, an injury he suffered last Friday vs. Dallas. Like Morant, Cunningham is considered day-to-day in his recovery, per the Pistons.

The Pistons have a 41-32 record, which puts them fifth in the East, two games behind the No. 4 Pacers and a half-game ahead of the No. 6 Bucks. There’s a significant gap between Milwaukee and No. 7 Atlanta, so Detroit is in no danger of falling out of the top six in the conference, but the team could secure a more favorable seed (and first-round matchup) with a strong finish.

Cunningham has appeared in 66 games so far this season, so he has met the minimum requirement to qualify for award consideration and looks like a good bet to make an All-NBA team. If he achieves that feat, his maximum-salary rookie scale extension would start at 30% (instead of 25%) of the 2025/26 cap.

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