Grizzlies coach reacts to Adams trade to Rockets

Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins couldn’t speak on Thursday night about the reported trade sending Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets because the move wasn’t official.

Later in the evening, the Grizzlies announced the deal in which they acquired Victor Oladipo and three second-round picks for Adams. On Friday, Jenkins addressed the media by describing Adams’ impact on the franchise the past two-plus seasons.

“Big-time thanks to (Adams),” Jenkins said. “Opportunities come throughout the league. We got to make some decisions. Obviously we’re excited about the flexibility it creates for us. . . . The impact (Adams) made was a big one for us. Obviously we’re going to miss him. Hopefully he gets healthy. He’s been working really hard in his rehab. He had a huge impact not just on the floor, but also in the locker room.”

Adams, who is out for this season after having knee surgery, played 76 games in the 2021-22 season and helped the Grizzlies tie a franchise record with 56 wins. Last season, they were battling the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference when Adams suffered the knee injury in a game against the Phoenix Suns in January 2023. He was unable to return, and the Grizzlies’ season ended when they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers.

As the results suggest, replacing Adams won’t be easy, but it’s the next challenge in front of Jenkins and general manager and president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman. Jenkins mentioned that he and Kleiman have been in talks about where the Grizzlies will move going forward with the center position.

One option they “envision” is playing Jaren Jackson Jr. at center more, Jenkins said. However, nothing has been ruled out.

“Learning that development opportunity for (Jackson) with the ball in his hands more as a screener,” Jenkins said. “Having some shooting around him. But also, the Steven archetype. Someone that’s big and physical, does a great job setting screens, rebounder, facilitator. All things that we want Jaren to continue to grow in as well. Those are ongoing dialogues. We got different avenues that we’re going to look to explore.”