Memphis Grizzlies remove interim tag, make Tuomas Iisalo head coach
Tuomas Iisalo was thrown into an impossible situation. He'd been brought to America by the Grizzlies just a year ago from Paris Basketball — where he had won EuroCup with a high-powered offense — to help ramp up the Memphis offense. Then, when Taylor Jenkins was fired as the Grizzlies' head coach late in the season, Iisalo was thrown into the fire and handed the title of interim head coach. Memphis went 4-5 to end the season under him, came out of the Play-In Tournament only to run into a juggernaut Oklahoma City team that swept Memphis out of the playoffs.
Now, Iisalo has been given the job full time, the Grizzlies announced.
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"I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward," Grizzlies President and General Manager Zachary Kleiman said in a statement. "Tuomas' teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis."
Iisalo played professionally in Finland and is the first Finnish head coach in the NBA.
Grizzlies players spoke highly of Iisalo and he seemed to have their support to take over as head coach, in particular Ja Morant. Iisalo ran more Morant pick-and-rolls, and rookie Zach Edey seemed to grow and thrive in this system. Being hired now gives Iisalo a full offseason and training camp to instill his offense.
What the roster Iisalo will coach next season remains a question mark, Memphis cannot just run this group back again and expect different results with a different coach. However, it may be difficult to make radical changes. Whatever happens, Iisalo will get his chance.
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