Four NBA coaches were abruptly fired during the 2024-25 NBA regular season. But were these four any more deserving than the other 26 coaches?

Three of the firings made some sense. Mike Brown’s Kings were an underwhelming 13-18. Mike Budenholzer’s Suns were a disappointing 36-46 when they let him go. Though the Nuggets were winning, internal power struggles between coach Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth got both men ousted.

But the Memphis Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins? His firing was harder to explain.

Jenkins joined Memphis in 2019 after serving as an assistant to Budenholzer’s Bucks, who went 60-22. He brought similar success to Memphis — winning 56 games in 2021-22 and finishing second in Coach of the Year voting.

In 2022-23, Jenkins’ Grizzlies finished a respectable 51-31. In 2023-24, they cratered to 27-55 — but Ja Morant played only nine games, and injuries ravaged the roster. Only Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama played more than 60 games.

Coming into 2024-25, expectations were high: Vegas set their over/under at 47.5 wins. And Memphis delivered. At 44-29, it was on pace for 49 wins — 1.5 over bettors’ expectations. Usually, that kind of season earns praise, not a pink slip.

Other similarly overperforming teams kept their coaches. Boston ( 2.5), Atlanta ( 3.5) and Indiana ( 3.5) were widely praised for their seasons. Even Toronto’s Darko Rajakovic, who beat expectations by just 0.5, wasn’t on the hot seat.

Teams that underperformed modestly........

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