Tuomas Iisal’s ‘coherent’ hoops epitomize the NBA draft tank’s masterpiece

As it is the broken Memphis Grizzlies play the final weeks of a lost season that could yield a top pick in the NBA draft, Tuomas Iisalo is focused on incremental gains. That progress will be built on good, fundamental basketball that every high school player should know. However, fans can feel the tension given the current marching orders. Lose enough to improve your draft positioning. Win enough to build a foundation. Do both with integrity, even against the lowly Sacramento Kings.

Keeping things simple, relatively speaking, is obvious prescription to run out the last two dozen games.

“I think the biggest thing is playing somewhat coherent basketball,” Iisalo said. “We were able to get some new guys into the rotation right away. It wasn’t easy. We tried to keep the cognitive load to a minimum. Just do the basics. Those days when we had to practice (after the All-Star break) were very important in that regard.”

Losing Ja Morant (injury) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (trade) marked a real turning point for a small-market franchise looking to quickly get back into contention. While most NBA staffs had to rest during the break, Iisal’s staff mapped out a reset.

“We worked to make sure everyone was going in the same direction and knew what was expected of them in different situations,” Iisalo said. “For that, you have to stabilize some of the roles. So when we have new guys coming in, we’ve looked to make their roles as similar as possible night in and night out so they can find stability.”

Iisal’s stability-first approach is key to what Grizzlies fans (21-35) and league watchers can call ethical tank business. They are competitive, but are six games behind the LA Clippers for the final NBA Play-In spot. Still, as more players return from injuries and the front office fills the roster with 10-day contracts, Iisalo plans to increase the complexity for those who have shown they can handle it.

“Guys who, say, speak our language more fluently. We can move them around a bit and see what we haven’t discovered yet about the players,” explained Iisalo. “Because they’re playing with different players in different roles, all of a sudden you can see a guy is able to do something that maybe wasn’t so obvious before.

Discoveries of hidden gems are what separate a well-managed rebuilding season from a wasted one. Sending the current group into the summer with habits and film that translate into next season, regardless of where the draft lands, is a top priority. Victories would be welcome, Iisalo made clear, but not at the expense of the bigger picture. The Finnish coach will have to rely on the lessons learned over the next six weeks to survive another six-month stint in 2027.

So, for now, the measure of success in recent weeks will not be found in the table, but in the are the Grizzlies starting a foundation for the off season. If Memphis can finish the year playing organized, disciplined basketball, the team hopes that a difficult 2025-26 campaign will at least bring clarity to enter a new era.