Taylor Jenkins took over as the Memphis Grizzlies head coach in 2019, making him one of the youngest coaches in the NBA. Moreover, his journey has been unique, particularly as Taylor has never played basketball professionally. Most coaches are either former players or at least have played at the college level. Jenkins played only at the school level and opted not to play basketball in college.

The Grizzlies head coach, after the 2022 season, signed a contract extension with the franchise, which reportedly earns him around $2.5 million annually. The details of his contract were not made public. This extension came after a successful season with the team—they were seeded 2nd in the Western Conference only behind the Phoenix Suns with a 56-26 record for the regular season.

His young and energetic demeanor has been infectious and players go along really well with their young head coach. When he was hired, Taylor was only 34 years old making him the 2nd youngest head coach in NBA history. His meteoric rise to the top has been nothing short of a dream.

Jenkins started his coaching career after interning with the San Antonio Spurs. After this, he was offered the role of assistant coach to their D League affiliate the Austin Toros. He accepted the offer and joined the Austin Toros as assistant coach, which marked the start of his coaching career.

Taylor Jenkins’s rise to the top

Early life and High School career

Born on September 12, 1984, in Arlington, Texas, Jenkins attended St. Mark’s School in Dallas, where he started playing basketball. He was a two-time captain of his school’s team, despite being a pretty undersized forward at 6’3″. Well, such concerns didn’t seem to bother the young Jenkins. In 2003, Jenkins captained his team into the Conference finals, where they lost in a dramatic encounter, in overtime.

College life

After a pretty successful high school career, Jenkins decided to drop basketball going into college. He joined Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his Bachelor of Science in Economics and had Psychology as his minor subject. After completing his education he decided to join the San Antonio Spurs as an intern.

Coaching Career

Austin Toros

Just after Jenkins’ internship, he was offered a role as an assistant coach for the D League affiliate of the Spurs. He joined them in 2008 and continued as an assistant coach until 2012. The same year, he was promoted to the role of head coach for the first time in his career. Regardless, he led the Toros to an impressive record of 27-23. They reached the semi-finals of the competition falling short to the Santa Cruz Warriors. Following his successful campaign the Atlanta Hawks took notice of the young coach.

Atlanta Hawks

Jenkins was called upon for a role as an assistant coach in 2013. He served as an assistant under the head coach Mike Budenholzer. While he was in Atlanta the team reached the playoffs four years in a row, making the Conference Finals in 2015. He is believed to have played a major role in 4 out of the 5 starters becoming NBA All-Stars. After a very successful stint with the Hawks, Jenkins followed his head coach Mike Budenholzer in his next adventure.

Milwaukee Bucks

In 2018, Taylor Jenkins joined as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks with Mike Budenholzer at the helm. The season was a huge success as the Bucks finished top of the Eastern Conference with 60 wins. This was the first time in 45 years that the Bucks became Conference toppers. However, he was there only for a single season.

Memphis Grizzlies

Jenkins’ first job as a head coach was with the Memphis Grizzlies and the team placed their trust in the young manager. It’s safe to say that Jenkins has delivered. Although the Grizzlies finished the first season with Jenkins at the helm with a record of 34-39, it was a different story the next few years. His side has made the playoffs 3 times in a row starting from Jenkin’s second season. He has helped rebuild the team and made them a competitive franchise.

His best season was 2021-22 when the Grizzlies finished second in the conference. They made it to the semi-finals of the conference, losing to the Warriors. Last season was not a good one, and the team seemed to struggle. Their star, Ja Morant, was also missing most of the season due to injuries and suspension and only played for the final nine games. They finished the season with a disappointing 27-55 record.

Conclusion

Jenkins has proven his credibility everywhere he has stepped in. He joined the Grizzlies as a young, inexperienced coach but has gone on to prove what he is all about and perform pretty well. He will look to learn from the previous season and take his team to a much better season this time.