The Los Angeles Lakers are stuck in what feels like an endless tailspin. They're 4-8 over their past 12 games, losing in ways that have ranged from a 31-point blowout to a buzzer-beating three, with the painful reality of the impact of late-season injuries hanging over their heads.
One of the most shocking in-season decisions in recent NBA history, however, may have just gifted the Lakers an opportunity to instantly correct their course.
Los Angeles will close out a four-game road trip on Saturday, Mar. 29 when they face the Memphis Grizzlies. It'll be one of the most important games they play all season, as the two teams are both 44-29 and competing for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.
Just one day before that monumental matchup, the Grizzlies decided that 73 games into the 2024-25 regular season was the perfect time to fire head coach Taylor Jenkins.
Taylor Jenkins was called into the Grizzlies office this morning and was fired in person, sources tell ESPN. Stunning dismissal. Jenkins now becomes one of the top head coaching candidates for the upcoming cycle. He had a .539 winning percentage as Grizzlies coach. https://t.co/fKRG7MNY58
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 28, 2025
It's a truly astonishing move that has suddenly given the Lakers a rare chance to capitalize on a team in a greater state of disarray than their own.
Grizzlies fire Taylor Jenkins just one day before pivotal Lakers game
Memphis made the decision to fire Jenkins while sitting at No. 5 in the Western Conference standings with just nine games to be played. It also did so with a game looming that could propel the Grizzlies to No. 4, thus setting the pace for home-court advantage in the first round.
Considering Jenkins and the Grizzlies have achieved that level of success with All-NBA point guard Ja Morant missing 30 games and counting, this is a baffling decision.
Memphis has admittedly struggled in recent weeks, going an uninspiring 9-13 since Feb. 8. It seemingly managed to right the ship by going 6-5 over its past 11 games, however, including a recent spell during which Morant has missed five straight outings.
Memphis doesn't appear to be quite as forgiving of that stretch, however, and has instead opted to make a last-minute change at head coach.
This in no way guarantees that Los Angeles will pick up an ever-important win on Saturday. It's entirely possible that the Grizzlies will rally around this decision, drawing new inspiration to elevate their play and pick up an essential win.
If the Lakers are going to turn things around after enduring their own chapter of injuries and inconsistency, however, then this is a perfect chance to do so.
Los Angeles is 4-8 over its past 12 games, due in no small part to the previous extended injury absences of players such as Rui Hachimura and LeBron James. It defeated the Indiana Pacers on Mar. 26 via a buzzer-beating tip-in, but then fell to the Chicago Bulls on a game-winner as time expired.
In desperate need of a victory that would secure the tiebreak over the Grizzlies, the Lakers must capitalize on this golden opportunity.