Coach Taylor Jenkins Press Conference | Grizzlies vs. Bulls

Coach Taylor Jenkins Press Conference | Grizzlies vs. Bulls

Uh just overall how would you assess the way they played tonight yeah I mean I thought uh we gave great effort in the first half I mean only gave up 50 points in the first half I thought our defensive game plan execution was really good I mean our offense really just set

Us back tonight I mean first quarter 17 points we couldn’t really generate any offense really get to the paint trying to get to that next action playing with force uh give the Bulls credit they played great tonight you know obviously offensively you know I challenged the guys to continue finding ways to you

Know continue to move the ball didn’t really get our Pace going but we had 28 assists on 32 M shots you know just we could have had more if we had generated some more pain touches uh overall I thought we tried to play you know the right way play hard uh just definitely

Came up short against a team that played really well tonight obviously without some of the guys that are missing it’s shot creation is hard um and so defense becomes that much more important so is that something you’re telling the team like if we have to be excellent defensively essentially for the full

Four quarters to to give ourselves a chance yeah I mean luckily with our group they know that’s how we’ve got to establish our identity every single night we did that tonight in the first half um obviously the offense just you know set us back and uh when you have

Those kind of spells I think we ended up tying the score uh there was that run they went on like an 80 10 run um had a call a timeout that they responded to the run that we had coming out of the gate in the third quarter so uh our guys

Know that we got to set our Edge I think we’ve done it two games in a row you know in Minnesota uh tonight in Chicago and then just you know our offense uh obviously couldn’t get going for the 48 minutes in in Minnesota was the 4 quarter so obviously different guys

Having to create the offense for us um you know JJ had a beautiful night the other night I thought they did a really good job tonight putting different matchups on them showing double teams early crowds he found his opportunities to attack uh but they did a good job you

Know with their defensive game plan and um obviously trying to create other opportunities whether a small small pick and roll second side going catches um we just really couldn’t get that going tonight 15 of your 20 shots in the first quarter were from three point was that a

Game plan or just kind of they pushed you out of the paint oh they just pushed us out of the paint um I thought we probably missed a couple of opportunities where we could have had some going catches in those situations they were in some heavy shifts and you

Know we talked about you know early ballman with this group you know setting a tone you know I like you know a pretty decent amount of the looks that we had but the I think the first couple of possessions we went maybe four or five where they were definitely threes and we

End up calling a play I think we got a paint touch and a paint score but um you got to give them credit I think their defense kind of push us out a little bit tonight given the current situation with jiren obviously he’s going to get almost all attention um feels like his

Playmaking is kind of getting better every single game is this a big opportunity for him to develop in that area oh huge I think uh I was asked about it um you know with Pete before the game you know just love especially what he did in the Minnesota game

Initiating the offense for us we want anybody to bring it up but obviously our confidence in him his teammates confidence in him you know I think we discovered playing some pick and roll with him you know to create advantages against a mismatch or him playmaking out

Of that obviously we’ve had him in the post a lot you know this season he’s done a great job against single teams double teams triple teams at times uh this is a great opportunity to expand on his playmaking skills out more on the perimeter that’s not involving a close

Out it involves him just really initiating the offense um you know as coaches we’re going to have to get more creative how we can put him in those spots and when teams throw different coverages or different matchups how we can put him in his sweet spots to be

Able to that gifted guy that can go one-on-one against anybody or if it’s attracting to and making the simple play he’s gotten better uh in that situation now we can do it earlier in possessions for him last thing me on Jon again do you believe that his character and his

Kind of well-rounded interests in every the whole package makes him a better basketball player in any way yeah absolutely I think uh when you get to know JJ his heart and his care factor for the things that he’s passionate about just screams anytime you’re around him uh I always talk about his

Personality how positive his infectious it is but since day one that I met him you know when there’s something he’s passionate about he gives it his all I mean you see it with a work ethic you know his knowledge of things on and off the floor I think that’s what makes him

A heck of a basketball player is the fact that he knows the game he learns the game he challenge himself in this game he wants to get uncomfortable especially this season growing in a lot of different areas but he loves this game and he pours his heart and soul

Into it that’s why he’s the the amazing player that he is but also even more importantly the amazing person that he is in the third quarter and then also into the fourth when they really went on the run and and got going they were just got to the paint at will um obviously

You’re missing a lot of size but what can you do going forward or uh was you just have jiren as you run protect yeah I think you know our shifts could have been a little bit better they they did a good job with their next actions their

Ball movement I think they ended up with 32 assists tonight um obviously Co Kobe white was a focal point coming into the game you know their bench was great tonight you know dumu was fantastic you know drumming on the boards um you know a lot of different guys I me in that

Starting line Patrick Williams knocking down some threes they did a good job just moving the ball and taking advantage of you know our early shifts and then when we closed out and they played with Force they created more paint touches so give them credit their next action was really good and and uh

You know we were just a step late on a lot Watch J’s dad uh when he played uh a couple of highlights here and there you know before my time have you met him oh yeah oh yeah for sure they’re like a carbon copy of one another yeah I mean

The personalities when you get to know uh jiren senior and his mom too I mean uh phenomenal parents you can see you know where dad has his influence his mom has his influence I mean he’s the most well-rounded guy you know one of the most well-rounded guys I’ve ever been

Around especially in this league but in life so uh unbelievable you know parents with unbelievable High character and uh you know they’re ones that have passions as well and I think that he learned a lot from them great thanks everyone appreciate it

Taylor Jenkins meets with the media following a loss to the Chicago Bulls. #nba

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