Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins' next mission? Unleash the best version of Ja Morant

Ja Morant threaded the pass to a teammate for another sensational assist, and the second-longest tenured coach in Memphis Grizzlies history knew what to do before his star did.

As a shirtless Morant ran up the floor at an open practice last Sunday, Taylor Jenkins had his two hands circled around his eyeballs in the form of goggles. Morant noticed, smiled and broke out his signature Ja-ggles before dapping up Jenkins.

“I feel like he’s our coach, but he’s like a brother towards us,” Morant said. “We talk to him just like he’s our teammate.”

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Jenkins, 38, enters his fourth season with the Grizzlies on the same upward trajectory as the team he leads. His profile within the NBA has expanded after tying the franchise record of 56 wins and finishing second in coach of the year voting in 2021-22. He has gone from a relative unknown and one of the league's youngest coaches to a proven commodity.

But Jenkins is now faced with orchestrating the Grizzlies' maturation from great to elite, a leap that's often harder to accomplish than the one he oversaw since joining the organization. His success might just boil down to how he fits into Morant's next evolution as a player.

The ability to unlock the full potential of a superstar is a trait shared by many of the great NBA coaches in the modern era. Phil Jackson did it with Michael Jordan in Chicago and later with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Pat Riley accomplished that with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with the Lakers and then again in Miami with Dwyane Wade. Gregg Popovich also developed that synergy with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in San Antonio.

Jenkins has a ways to go to be associated with those names, but Morant's ceiling presents a template and an opportunity most coaches dream of having in their career.

“Every player in this league wants a coach that allows them to be themselves,” Morant said.

Jenkins has emphasized building and maintaining relationships throughout the roster from the moment he was hired by Memphis. He says it's a function of his years spent working under Popovich and Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.

But it's his partnership with Morant that is the most crucial, both because of the position Morant plays and the position he's ascending to within NBA circles.

“It’s continuing to spend more time together each and every year,” Jenkins said. “I love the conversations we’ve had. He’s a coach on the floor for us, he’s a leader for us. Just that leadership is something I constantly hit him with.”

The two are ultra competitive. Sometimes Morant sees something that Jenkins doesn’t, and he lets his coach know. Jenkins never hesitates to call Morant over during a break to put his arm around his shoulder and tell him what he’s seeing.

Jenkins wants Morant to be vocal on the floor and in film sessions, and that's happening more.

“(Jenkins) pretty much wants to be held accountable just like we would want to be held accountable,” Morant said. “He knows sometimes he messes up, and he expects us to get on him for that, and he does the same for us.”

Their dynamic is a compelling one. Jenkins is meticulous, organized and prepared to a fault, but favors a free-flowing offensive system. It theoretically plays into the best parts of Morant's game. Jenkins encourages spacing and pace. The Grizzlies led the NBA in transition points, and Morant won the NBA's most improved award after having one of the most dominant paint scoring seasons by a guard in NBA history.

So what's next? Morant and Jenkins have both been faced with that question during the preseason. As a player, Morant says the next thing for him to prove is a "championship." To get there, his game will likely need to go up another level.

That's where Jenkins comes in. This season, he is emphasizing the team take more 3-pointers and layups. That means less of Morant's floater and more of the acrobatic finishes that helped him lead the NBA in paint points per game last season.

Morant shot a career-high 34.4% on 3-pointers last season, but that was still below league average (35.4%).

Jenkins wants Morant to embrace simple repetitive mechanics with less noise in his shot. The detail-oriented Jenkins is watching every miniscule body movement: Morant's feet, his follow-through and even how he preps in and out of the shot.

"Once Ja becomes a really high level shooter, he's going to be unstoppable," Jenkins said. "He's pretty unstoppable now."

His words carry more weight these days, especially after receiving a contract extension this offseason. Jenkins will likely pass Dave Joerger for the second-most wins in franchise history this year.

But it's what he does from here, and what he gets out of Morant, that will determine his legacy.

"To get where we ultimately want to go, and that's winning championships, it starts with our day in and day out process," Jenkins said. "Our tunes not going to really change in terms of how we operate."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins will unleash Ja Morant