Tuomas Iisalo Articles - Page 3

It can be hard to pinpoint over the smell of freshly cut football fields, but true hardwood fans are already taking in the small wafts of basketball trickling into the sporting conversation. The release of the 2025-26 NBA schedule not only added to that anticipation but also added clarity to organizational expectations to a certain […]

With the full Memphis Grizzlies’ NBA schedule now unveiled, the team faces one of the toughest campaigns in the league. Extensive road trips, brutal back-to-backs, and early-season tests will challenge their depth and stamina from the opening tip. At the same time, Ja Morant returns as the centerpiece of the Grizzlies, ready to shoulder the […]

For Zach Kleiman’s rebooted Grit-and-Grind Memphis Grizzlies and GG Jackson, the NBA Summer League grind sessions represented opportunities far more valuable than only on-court repetitions. Coming off a frustrating sophomore campaign derailed by injury, the 20-year-old is still working to be included in the franchise’s long-term plans alongside Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. As […]

Zach Kleiman’s Memphis Grizzlies are entering uncharted territory under new head coach Tuomas Iisalo, but the Finnish tactician is not abandoning the franchise’s Grit-and-Grind DNA. In fact, Iisalo is evolving it in a way that still works with a Three Six Mafia album. After a summer of intensive development through both Salt Lake City and […]

Ja Morant’s regrouping Memphis Grizzlies are heading into 2025 Las Vegas NBA Summer League action with a clear opportunity to evaluate key pieces for the upcoming season, Tuomas Iisalo included. The Finnish coach was thrown into the fire as a first-year assistant, being elevated to the lead chair with less than two weeks remaining before […]

The Memphis Grizzlies’ offseason plans were abruptly recalibrated when rookie center Zach Edey underwent surgery for excessive ligamentous laxity in his left ankle, sidelining him indefinitely. With their 7-foot-4 anchor of the future expected to miss a significant portion of the 2025-26 season, new head coach Tuomas Iisalo faces an early defining challenge. Yet within […]

The Memphis Grizzlies made a bold move in firing head coach Taylor Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season and promoting assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo. EVP/GM Zach Kleiman’s decision came as a shock to many given the team’s playoff trajectory and Jenkins’ established role in shaping the franchise’s recent success. Jenkins has […]

The Memphis Grizzlies had some decisions to make going into the offseason, and one of them was finding a new head coach after firing Taylor Jenkins toward the end of the season. It looks like they are staying with familiarity and hiring Tuomas Iisalo, according to Grizzlies PR. “The Memphis Grizzlies today announced the team […]

As Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies regroup from a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s near-perfect Oklahoma City Thunder, EVP Zach Kleiman faces a pivotal offseason to elevate the franchise from perennial playoff hopeful to bona fide championship contender. With a young core led by Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the offseason roster-building […]

The Memphis Grizzlies entered the NBA Playoffs with hopes of making noise as a young, hungry team. Instead, Jaren Jackson Jr. was among many handed a harsh reality check by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who completed a first-round sweep with a dominant performance that left EVP Zach Kleiman searching for answers. The series, […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are dealing with Ja Morant rumors already but there is reason for optimism after being swept by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. A budding chemistry between rookie center Zach Edey and guard Scotty Pippen Jr. offers a foundation for the future. If nothing else was learned by the Grizzlies, Executive Vice […]

The Memphis Grizzlies failed to figure out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s Oklahoma City Thunder without Ja Morant (hip) so Tuomas Iisalo’s maiden 2025 NBA Playoff run unfortunately ended sooner than hoped. Yet, amid the first-round exit disappointment, an unlikely hero emerged as a foundational building block. The losses were tough, sure, but Scotty Pippen Jr.’s relentless energy, […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are in offseason mode after just four games in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, as they were swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series’ result was not entirely surprising, considering that Oklahoma City had the best record in the entire NBA during the regular season, while the Grizzlies […]

Although Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo took over with 15 games remaining, he endured a difficult stretch. After Ja Morant was ruled out with an injury, Scotty Pippen Jr stepped up in a big way. In Saturday’s 117-115 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pippen posted 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. After […]

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo had to concede a concerning fact about Ja Morant’s injury after the team’s 114-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the West First Round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night. Before Morant went down, the Grizzlies possessed a 27-point lead over the Thunder […]

It’s too late in the season to get cute with the scouting reports. The best shot at winning a postseason game and Tuomas Iisalo securing the full-time Memphis Grizzlies job is by granting Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. the offensive freedom they crave. Simply put, tailoring the system to maximize their unique talents is […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were playing things cool after two lopsided road losses to open an NBA Playoff series versus Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Ja Morant’s Grizzlies were even issuing guarantees before a massive must-win back home on Beale Street. The FedEx Forum’s loyal fans should pack the house but what kind of response will […]

It can be hard to know what to say sometimes, especially for a new voice trying to lead a well-established, entrenched group. Well, Memphis Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo delivered a terse but pointed message to his team following a 118-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their first-round Western Conference […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were unfazed after a Game 1 blowout but Game 2’s 118-99 scoreline suggests Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder are still unbothered by the lower-seeded squad. The Ja Morant-led high-octane, drive-and-kick offense, built around generating open three-point looks, continues to falter against the NBA’s most suffocating defense. Jaylen Wells being out can only […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are shrugging off a lopsided Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, approaching Game 2 with a calm resolve that belies the 51-point deficit from Easter Sunday’s demolition. Despite the Thunder’s dominant performance, Tuomas Iisalo dismissed any notion of pressure weighing on Ja Morant’s Grizzlies, instead shifting expectations to the heavily […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were left looking for silver linings after a 131-80 blowout loss to open an NBA Playoffs first-round series versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was all smiles after the win while Ja Morant was making bold declarations about the future. There are still a few more meetings on the books but […]

Even dream jobs have nightmare days. Fortunately, Tuomas Iisalo was able to laugh off uncomfortable questions after Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies suffered through a 51-point blowout loss (131-80) to open the NBA Playoffs. A first-round Game 1 against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder did not go as planned but there are brighter days ahead according […]

The Memphis Grizzlies will not be caught off guard by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Playoffs Game 2 tilt. At least, that is what Scotty Pippen Jr. stated after the Grizzlies took a historically bad loss on the chin Easter Sunday. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey talked about […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were embarrassed by the Oklahoma City Thunder 131-80 in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs first-round face-off. After a lopsided, historically bad loss on Easter Sunday, Ja Morant is making guarantees for the regrouping Grizzlies. Scotty Pippen Jr. is being more practical, emphasizing a forward-focused mindset. Adapting to how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have undergone notable shifts since promoting Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach. Not all of them have been a success in the small ten-game sample size provided, including the 121-116 NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Golden State Warriors. While Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. will shoulder most of […]

The firing of Taylor Jenkins on March 28, 2025, and the promotion of Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach of Ja Morant’s foxhole-fighting Memphis Grizzlies introduced a period of adjustment. This was a team struggling with inconsistency, turnovers, and above .500 teams all season after all, so something had to be done. Thankfully, Morant, Jaren […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are hoping Ja Morant can go full speed in a do-or-die NBA Play-In Tournament elimination game. If not, interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo will have to give Scotty Pippen Jr. a shot at setting the table for Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. on offense. Defensively, the Hall of Famer’s son will […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are having a hard time getting everyone on the same page before the NBA Playoffs begin. The most recent setback, a 141-125 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, exposed more than a few flaws with Tuomas Iisalo’s new frontcourt configurations. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey seem to be reading from different […]

The NBA Playoffs bracket is starting to become clearer after Ja Morant’s misfiring Memphis Grizzlies (47-33) fell to Anthony Edwards’ trash-talking Minnesota Timberwolves (47-33) in the third-to-last game of the regular season. Newly appointed head coach Tuomas Iisalo and the Grizzlies had full control of their destiny going into the game, but the 141-125 loss […]

The busted-up Memphis Grizzlies are showing signs of a turnaround under new head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Ja Morant has embraced the villain role and is celebrating in the league’s face like money does not matter. NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidate Santi Aldama told ClutchPoints there is a real belief in the locker room […]

Amid an 0-3 start to his NBA coaching career, Tuomas Iisalo finds himself thrust into the heart of an all shook up Memphis Grizzlies locker room grappling with the sting of defeat and the weight of a franchise-altering decision. With just six games remaining in the regular season, the front office’s stunning move to replace […]

The Memphis Grizzlies needed a refresh after falling down the Western Conference standings in their own wayward version of March Madness. Now Ja Morant and Desmond Bane are balancing the ball-handling duties more equitably of late, leaving Jaren Jackson Jr. to do what the Defensive Player of the Year does best. Tuomas Iisalo, who took […]

Tuomas Iisalo’s tenure leading a Ja Morant-led Memphis Grizzlies squad experiencing a mid-season crisis has gotten off to a rocky 0-3 start against an historically difficult schedule. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics got first dibs at the Finnish coach. Then Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors (44-31) handed Iisalo’s Grizzlies (44-32) a third straight […]

After a disheartening 134-125 loss to Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors (44-31) on April Fool’s Day, the totally reset Memphis Grizzlies (44-32) dropped to sixth in the Western Conference standings. A team sitting in second place for most of the season is now in an intensifying fight to secure a top-six seed and avoid the […]

With time running out before the NBA Playoffs begin, Tuomas Iisalo is putting his stamp on the team’s offense, reimagining how stars Ja Morant and Desmond Bane share the table-setting, point guard duties. In just a few days since taking over the struggling, quickly slipping Memphis Grizzlies, Iisalo has already reshaped how Bane and Morant […]

Tuomas Iisalo’s four-game debut as an NBA head coach is going down in the history books as the most difficult job-opening, mid-season slate in sports. Ja Morant’s struggling to survive Memphis Grizzlies dropped their first two games under Iisalo, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers (134-127) and defending champion Boston Celtics (117-103) two nights later. […]

After the Memphis Grizzlies shockingly fired head coach Taylor Jenkins, there has been a multitude talking points around the league surrounding the future of star Ja Morant. It certainly seems like many reports also question Morant’s future with the Grizzlies, but the latest from The Athletic goes into detail about the new offense this season […]

The Memphis Grizzlies made a shocking decision when they fired Taylor Jenkins with only nine games remaining in the regular season and despite being in a heated playoff race in the Western Conference. But the move to fire Jenkins could have been a long time coming, even tracing back to the offseason. The Grizzlies may […]

The Memphis Grizzlies shocked the NBA world on Friday when they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins amid a tough playoff race in the Western Conference. The organization immediately named assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo as interim head coach with nine games remaining in the regular season. Prior to the Grizzlies’ next game, one with heavy playoff […]