The Memphis Grizzlies hired former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins as their head coach on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies fired J.B. Bickerstaff at the end of the 2018-19 season. Jenkins will be introduced at a Wednesday press conference.
“We are excited to welcome Taylor Jenkins to the Grizzlies organization,” Grizzlies executive vice president of basketball operations Zachary Z. Kleiman said in a team-released statement. “Taylor has an excellent coaching pedigree and we are confident he will lay the groundwork of developing the young players on our roster while having the elite basketball acumen and forward-thinking positive vision to be a high-level NBA head coach.”
Jenkins was assistant to head coach Mike Budenholzer for the past six seasons, five with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and last year with the Bucks.
Jenkins becomes the third NBA coach to come directly from Budenholzer’s staff, joining Utah’s Quin Snyder and Brooklyn’s Kenny Atkinson.
Jenkins will oversee a reshaped roster in Memphis that could include dealing point guard Mike Conley. The Grizzlies hold the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft and are expected to select Murray State point guard Ja Morant.
Bickerstaff took over as the Grizzlies’ interim head coach during the 2017-18 season, and he got the job full time after the team went 15-48 with him in charge. He produced a 48-97 overall record on the job, with Memphis missing the playoffs in both of his seasons.
