In the four years he has been with Memphis, Taylor Jenkins has learned from each experience, as his group constantly progresses. The coach savored the successes but also learned from the setbacks.
On this point, last season was rich in lessons since after having had a great regular season, the Grizzlies failed in the first round of the playoffs despite having home field advantage, between injuries to important players (Brandon Clarke and Steven Adams, without forgetting Desmond Bane’s problems with his big toe), and of course Ja Morant’s dizzying fall caused by his extra-sporting concerns.
To restore some order in the house (and compensate for the absence of Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the season), the Grizzlies called on two veterans, Derrick Rose and especially Marcus Smart. If D-Rose should have a complementary role, the former Boston leader should have a much greater impact, on the field but also in the locker room, in order to take this group to the next level.
Marcus Smart in contact with his teammates
“He’s a top player, a top leader, a top competitor.” lists Taylor Jenkins. “I think his arrival will take our group to a higher level. I can’t wait for him to acclimate and get up to speed. He’s been fully engaged with his teammates throughout the summer, which is great to see, building those relationships. We had to make some tough decisions, and not having Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones with us was very difficult. They will have opportunities elsewhere, but the arrival of Marcus and Derrick will give us a big boost. And then there is also our general development. Jaren Jackson Jr. played with Team USA, Santi Aldama with Team Spain, and other players took advantage of this offseason.”
In his mission, Taylor Jenkins will therefore be able to rely on Marcus Smart. Even if he does not intend to force things, the coach knows his new player well enough to know that he has this leadership dimension.
“I don’t want to impose anything on him. He and I talked about a few things: ‘Who are your teammates? Who is part of the squad?’. The relationships he is building with the members of this team, the needs of the latter, he will do them in his own way. He’s going to do what he does naturally to be very good, and I’m even going to push him to improve.”
Steve Adams 100%
To reach this milestone, Taylor Jenkins also hopes to raise the level of demands on a daily basis, in order to continue to shine in the regular season but also to be ready when the more important deadlines arrive from mid-April.
“We know we’ve done some good things in the four years I’ve been here, but it’s not enough. We must continue to build, whether in the regular season, in the playoffs, or during the offseason.”he added. “As our season ended early, the players took a few weeks off and then got back to work. Some of them participated in the Summer League. Guys have been going back and forth to Memphis, training remotely, staying in touch. It’s an important camp that will start for us, an important season.”
Finally, when we talk about coaching and leadership, it’s difficult not to mention Steven Adams, whose absence also played a role in the Grizzlies’ collapse in the second half of the season. Now recovered from his knee injury, the New Zealand pivot should be ready for training camp.
“Steve is doing great. By all indications, from what he’s done in the offseason on stability and strength in the legs, and the knee in particular, he’s very good. I hope he’ll be 100% for training camp, but we’ll see how he goes over the next week.”concludes Taylor Jenkins.
