Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishMEMPHIS, Tenn. — Change might be an inevitable part of life, but Memphis Grizzlies players never saw coming the change they were dealing with going into Saturday night’s crucial matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.It was their first game without Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in franchise history, after he was fired on Friday morning in a stunning turn of events.After Saturday’s shootaround, the Grizzlies’ on-court leaders called a meeting to give their teammates a forum to express their thoughts on the firing and to stress that it’s more important to focus on what’s ahead rather than what’s behind them.“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,” Desmond Bane said. “I told them we have a really talented group and we can still do some special things. (Interim head coach) Tuomas (Iisalo) is a really smart guy, and we should buy into what he’s trying to do, and then see what we can do these last few games and beyond.”Jenkins’ dismissal wasn’t such a shock just because it came with only nine games left in the regular season, or even because the Grizzlies were 15 games over .500 when the news dropped. It’s because Jenkins has played such a pivotal role in this era of Grizzlies basketball that he helped raise the standard to where 15 games over .500 isn’t good enough.Over the last five seasons, Jenkins and the three faces of the franchise – Ja Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. – were the foundational pieces that transformed Memphis from a team in search of an identity into a quiet contender in the Western Conference.Even after a competitive performance in a 134-127 loss to the Lakers on Saturday, it still feels like, for the first time in years, the Grizzlies are a team standing on shaky ground.While last season was a chaotic ride due to a wave of injuries and Morant’s absence for all but nine games, there was still belief that once Morant and the rest of the core was back this crew could pick up where it left off.Now, this team’s short- and long-term future is more uncertain than it has been since the start of the Morant era in 2019.“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 after the loss. “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.”The short-term future is where the Grizzlies and Iisalo are trying to maintain their focus with the playoffs only a few weeks away. The team’s recent struggles going into the most critical stretch of the season most likely played a role in the team’s decision to move on from Jenkins, although Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman did not provide any clarity on the motivations behind his decision when he spoke to reporters Saturday afternoon.But it’s hard to ignore just how much Memphis has slipped after being in the mix for the No. 2 seed in the West at the start of the month.After Saturday’s loss, the Grizzlies are 2-6 over their last eight games and they’ve lost 10 straight against teams that hold a .500 record or better. They also rank 21st in defensive efficiency since the start of January.While most contenders are trying to hit their stride heading into the playoffs, the Grizzlies are undoubtedly playing their worst basketball of the season.Saturday’s loss to the Lakers only added to the recent defensive woes after allowing Los Angeles to make 12 of their first 21 3-pointers to begin the game and surrendering a combined 85 points and 25 assists to the Lakers’ star trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.While Iisalo has been lauded for the work he’s done this season to revamp the Grizzlies offense, this team won’t go far without some significant improvements on the defensive end.“I thought the difference was our start to the game. Unfortunately, the first half was not at the quality that we need to beat a team of this quality,” Iisalo said. “That’s something we’ve got to work on. We’ve got to get better.”Iisalo now faces the uphill battle of getting this team to change its current trajectory without much time to implement his core principles or schemes.During his pregame remarks to the media before Saturday’s game, Iisalo acknowledged that it’s been a “scramble” to get things in order since the Jenkins news dropped and that “no big changes are coming” regarding the team’s approach on the court.But in reality, what team fires their coach, especially a team with a winning record, without expecting big changes to come as a result?Of course, it will be difficult for Iisalo to put his stamp on this team with such limited practice time before the start of the playoffs. Nonetheless, the pressure will be on him to halt the current downward spiral of the Grizzlies.While neither he nor Kleiman acknowledged this on Saturday, the next few weeks will be a prime opportunity for Iisalo to make the case that he should have his interim tag removed and go into the 2025-26 season as the head coach in Memphis.It doesn’t get any easier for him in the coming days, with the Grizzlies hosting the Boston Celtics Monday night and the Golden State Warriors the following night.There’s a chance that moving Iisalo into this role could be the spark Memphis needs to get its act together before the playoffs. Or it could lead to this team’s collapse at the end of the season.The front office is certainly motivated to see Iisalo succeed. There’s a reason they wanted to add him to Jenkins’ staff, along with several other new assistants, ahead of this season.During Saturday’s loss, Iisalo repeatedly barked at his team about playing faster and giving Morant and Jackson the space they need to operate with the ball – two major points of emphasis coming into the season. Iisalo also talked before the game about wanting to implement more pick-and-roll opportunities so that a bigger chunk of the offense centers around Morant.There were already some early results in Saturday’s loss that showed some of these changes Iisalo is trying to implement. Morant finished the loss with 22 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He also finished with his sixth-highest usage rate in any game he’s played more than 30 minutes this season. Morant, Bane and Jackson also finished with 20-plus points in the same game for the fourth time this season.Even if they’re subtle and reveal themselves gradually, there must be some changes around this group in the coming weeks. If not, it’s tough to see playoff success in the Grizzlies’ future.“We’ve got a short time left,” Jackson said. “So it’s about making sure everybody’s aware of that and feeling as good as they can going into the end of the year and the playoffs.”Ultimately, if this team is going to make some noise before the end of the season and into the playoffs, it has to start with the Big 3 – Morant, Bane and Jackson Jr. – performing at a much higher level on both ends of the court.Those three took an important early step with their play in the Lakers game and with the leadership they displayed with the team meeting after shootaround Saturday afternoon.So, what comes next for this Grizzlies squad? One thing is certain: If some of those minor tweaks Iisalo is looking for don’t start showing up, it’s probably safe to assume that more big changes are coming in the summer.(Photo of Ja Morant and Tuomas Iisalo: Justin Ford/Getty Images)
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