With nine games left in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers are sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference. They are currently tied with the Memphis Grizzlies with a 44-29 record and are 1.5 games behind the third-seeded Nuggets and 2.5 games ahead of the sixth-seeded Clippers. This means that the most likely first-round opponent of the Lakers is the Grizzlies.
The two teams face off against each other on Saturday in a game with massive playoff-seeding implications. Ahead of that clash, however, ESPN's Shams Charania dropped the stunning news that Memphis fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday.
Taylor Jenkins was called into the Grizzlies office this morning and was fired in person, sources tell ESPN. Stunning dismissal. Jenkins now becomes one of the top head coaching candidates for the upcoming cycle. He had a .539 winning percentage as Grizzlies coach. https://t.co/fKRG7MNY58
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 28, 2025
NBA News: Grizzlies Fire Taylor Jenkins in Stunning Decision
This comes as a big surprise, as Jenkins has been with the team for six seasons and was on pace for his third 50-win season. He is considered to be one of the most innovative and talented young head coaches in the league.
Despite star point guard Ja Morant missing 30 games this season, Jenkins led the Grizzlies to the fifth-best net rating in the league. They are top-10 in both offense and defense, despite lacking elite talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, especially when Morant is unavailable.
This decision raises questions about what may have gone down behind the scenes since the on-court product certainly doesn't warrant a firing with nine games left before the playoffs.
It's not clear whether we will find out more details about that, but one thing is clear: the Lakers will benefit greatly from this decision. As things stand now, the Lakers have the third-best odds (+750) in the Western Conference to make the NBA Finals, per FanDuel Sportsbook. A potentially easier first-round series against the Grizzlies, who will have a new interim head coach in charge, should help keep the Lakers fresh for the rest of their postseason run.
More Los Angeles Lakers news and rumors:
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.