BOSTON — Former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins was at Boston Celtics practice on Tuesday, their first of the new season. As media trickled down to the floor, Jenkins was still on the sidelines, chatting with a few Boston coaches, including 2024-25 Maine Celtics head coach, Tyler Lashbrook.
Last year’s roller coaster in Memphis saw Jenkins fired at the end of March with just nine games remaining in the regular season. Jenkins finished 10th in Coach of the Year voting in 2022-23, and second the year prior in 2021-22. Yet just a few seasons later, he’s back on the job market, despite the role injuries played in the Grizzlies’ relative lack of success.
But Jenkins’ trip to Boston is just one of his stops.
“He's taking a couple [of] times and opportunities to come check out other teams, see how they operate, see what he can take from their game, and mold into his when he gets back into it,” said Celtics big man Xavier Tillman. “So, it was great to see him. He was just here, kind of seeing how we do things around here.”
Taylor Jenkins made the trip to visit the Celtics
Tillman spent three and a half seasons in Memphis playing under Jenkins. “It was great to see him, first and foremost,” Tillman said. “I [haven't] seen him in since Des' [Desmond Bane] wedding two summers ago.”
The NBA world was stunned when Jenkins was let go. The Grizzlies themselves were stunned. William Guillory of The Athletic reported that they held a players-only meeting following the move.
“I just wanted them to get out all their raw emotions. Don’t hold nothing back. Let it all out, and that way we can truly move forward,” Bane said via Guillory.
“It’s tough for me. I’ve had Coach Taylor since I got here. Everything I’ve done in a Grizzlies jersey has pretty much been under him,” Morant said, via the same article. “It’s my first time really experiencing a coach leaving since I’ve been hooping. It was a lot to process. With the timing, it’s just tough. We had to quickly turn the page.”
Taylor Jenkins is here at Celtics practice pic.twitter.com/raCHozA92u
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) September 30, 2025
Just over two weeks later, the Denver Nuggets followed suit. They fired GM Calvin Booth and head coach Mike Malone, who led Denver to its first title in franchise history two years ago, with three games left in the season.
That’s the reality of the NBA’s coaching world. “We all get hired to get fired,” Joe Mazzulla said last season when the Boston Bruins fired Jim Montgomery.
For every Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra, there’s a Jenkins or Malone. Guys who have done incredible, franchise-altering things for their team, yet still end up kicked to the curb when times get tough.
“I've felt for Taylor and for Mike,” Brad Stevens said after last season. “And obviously, [I’ve] talked to both of them. But every year, good coaches get let go. And they're way better than everybody talks about them. I'm just telling you because I coached against them. They're way better than everybody thinks or knows.
“But that's the reality of our situation, because that's the way the world works. And then, there [are] other coaches that are really good, too, [who] will get their opportunities.”
Perhaps the Celtics, or another team around the NBA, could provide Jenkins with his next opportunity. Jeff Van Gundy was on Boston’s staff as a special advisor for their 2024 title year, but he made the jump back to the bench the very next season with the LA Clippers.
But not this year. “He told me he's taking the year off,” Tillman said. “Just spending a lot of time with his family.”
For now, Jenkins’ trip bouncing around the NBA is the sole contributor to his basketball fix. But if and when he returns to coaching, these practice sit-ins could prove very valuable.