Memphis Grizzlies are sticking with J.B. Bickerstaff, who served as the team’s interim coach for the majority of the regular NBA season. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bickerstaff signed a three –year deal which will make him the team’s next head coach.
J.B. Bickerstaff took over the team in November 2017, after Grizzlies fired David Fizdale who posted a 7-12 record in the first 19 games of the season. Although Bickerstaff didn’t manage to improve the record by much, going 15-48 in the final 63 games, he did impress the organization given the limited resources he worked with. Grizzlies had a bad luck with injuries throughout the entire season, including the loss of their star player in Mike Conley, who was limited to just 12 games. The only positive thing is that they have ended with the second-worst record in the league and will have a high chance to get one of the first three picks in the 2018 NBA Draft.
This was the second time that J.B. Bickerstaff served as an interim coach for an NBA team. After Houston Rockets fired Kevin McHale at the beginning of the 2015-16 NBA season, Bickerstaff led the team for the rest of the season. He ended the season with 37-34 record and managed to get the Rockets into playoffs as the eight seed in the Western Conference. Bickerstaff also worked as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves.
