Earlier this season, the Memphis Grizzlies were a top-four seed, led by Jaren Jackson Jr., who was having a career year. Now, well, they’ve fired the best coach in franchise history eight games before the playoffs, have lost seven of their last ten games, and are at risk of falling into the play-in tournament after what was such a strong start to the year.
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At least, even when everything seems to be failing, Jaren Jackson Jr. continues to impress. He has quickly turned into one of the best players in the league and is undeniably the best player for the Grizzlies.
But amid an incredible individual season, JJJ’s interview about the team’s situation left fans confused. Jackson made the mistake of comparing Memphis to homelessness.
On the state of the Grizzlies, Jackson said, “We’ve had wins. We’ve had losses. Ain’t no reason to feel crazy. It could always be worse. You could be homeless.”
The firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins left many outside fans shocked, especially due to the timing. For most, the problem was not that Memphis fired the man who led them through a rebuild that started in 2019 but that they did so two weeks before the playoffs.
The added pressure of making that type of move has not seemed to help the team refocus. New interim coach Tuomas Iisalo has not been a head coach since he was running the Finland U20 team in 2014.
After losing to the Celtics last night, it seems the Grizzlies are heading for a first-round exit and crushing end to the year. In the words of @crisbottlsender on Twitter, well “it’s bad folks.”
In fact, the general response has just been to say “that’s weird” and move on. From Grizzlies fan accounts like GrizzMuse to Ritchie Millie, the common thread is just confusion.
It is a strange quote, but considering the state the team is in, you can’t blame Jackson for being irritated. Yet, his choice of words could have been better and more sensitive.
The forward had been building an All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year campaign this season but will have to try to get Memphis back on track with only seven games remaining in their season.
