No. Ja Morant is perfect for Memphis, and Memphis is perfect for Ja Morant. The worldwide superstar isn’t going anywhere because he had a disagreement with his coach. Kobe Bryant wasn’t shipped out because he disagreed with and disliked Phil Jackson. Deron Williams had similar issues with Jerry Sloan that Morant has with Tuomas Iisalo. Allen Iverson and Larry Brown had their problems, hence the infamous “practice” video.
The difference in Memphis? Tuomas Iisalo is a first time head coach in the NBA. Jackson, Sloan, and Brown are three of the best coaches to have ever done it.
There has been growing frustration in the locker room as the team adjusts to new coach Tuomas Iisalo. Iisalo is respected worldwide for his accomplishments as a head coach in Europe. In 2023-24, he served as the head coach of Paris Basketball, competing in the LNB Elite League. That season, Iisalo won EuroCup Coach of the Year, Finnish Coach of the Year, LNB Pro A Coach of the Year while the team won the EuroCup and French League Cup.
Success is success, and Memphis Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman handpicked Coach Iisalo to join former head coach Taylor Jenkins’ staff last season. The problem is that Iisalo and Jenkins saw the offensive approach very differently. Jenkins relied on the no screen offense brought in by Noah LaRoche, a former D3 coach while Iisalo believed the most successful version of Ja Morant involved heavy pick-and-roll usage.
Numbers Never Lie
Jenkins was fired before the end of the season, partly due to the frustration with Morant’s usage in the offense, setting up what seemed to be a successful partnership between Morant and Iisalo.
The 2025-26 campaign for Morant and Memphis begins with the mission of staying afloat while they await the return of injured players Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. With Memphis missing four key rotation players, one would think Ja, Jaren and the few remaining rotation players would see increased minutes. Herein lies the issue.
For his career, Morant has averaged 31.9 minutes per game out of 48 possible minutes. That number would have placed him tied with Jaden McDaniels for 52nd in minutes per game last season, just .1 ahead of former teammate Dillon Brooks.
Meanwhile, Devin Booker, Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and other stars — totaling 20 players — all averaged over 35 minutes per game.
So who is to blame? Is it Iisalo or is it Kleiman? Before Iisalo’s arrival last season, Morant’s minutes per game average was 32.9 across five seasons, putting him near Jalen Green and Scottie Barnes. He only played nine games the season before Iisalo’s arrival, but in those nine games he played almost 36 minutes on average.
The Grizzlies want to play fast, currently sixth in pace. For Iisalo, the rotations are about fresh legs to play at that pace.
The problem is, it’s not working. Only one team in the top six in pace currently has a winning record: the Portland Trail Blazers. The Miami Heat (1) and Orlando Magic (5) are two of the top five teams in pace, but each of them play their stars at least 34 minutes.
The Paris Predisposition
Good coaches do what they do well at a high level. Great coaches adapt. Iisalo is a good coach, his journey to greatness depends on his willingness to adapt. The frustration inside the locker room, according to Shams Charania, revolves around rotations.
For reference, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are 103 and 105 in the NBA in minutes played per game. Jackson Jr.’s low minute total is mainly due to his leading the NBA in fouls, but Morant is healthy and averaging 28 minutes per game.
Despite missing four rotation players, the Grizzlies are playing 11 players over ten minutes per game with seven of them playing between 23 and 28 minutes. This is not new for Coach Iisalo as he played 11 players 10 minutes or more in 2023-24 while coaching Paris Basketball Club while nine of them played between 17-26 minutes of a 40-minute contest.
TJ Shorts, the team’s leading scorer, also led the team in minutes. However, Nadir Hifi was fourth in minutes, despite being the second-leading scorer, five points ahead of the next player.
While the best European players can come to the NBA and excel, the European style of play may not translate well. An equal spread of minutes might work overseas where the talent gap is much smaller, but in the NBA, the stars are stars for a reason.
For the Memphis Grizzlies to be successful, they need Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the floor as much as possible. The best version of this team and this franchise is centered around Ja.
So no, trading Ja doesn’t make sense for the franchise. Playing Ja does. Both the head coach and point guard will have to adjust to each other, but one spat early in their relationship does not, and will not, define their story.