(This story was updated to include new information.)<\/p>\n
The Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> are hiring Darnell Lazare as an assistant coach, sources confirmed to The Commercial Appeal on July 23.<\/p>\n The sources requested anonymity because no official announcement has been made.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n He previously worked with the Grizzlies as a player development coach in 2018.<\/p>\n Lazare most recently was an assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>, where he started as a player development coach in 2019.<\/p>\n Lazare is the third assistant hired by Memphis under new coach Tuomas Iisalo. The Grizzlies previously added Brian “Penny” Collins and Ryan Saunders. <\/a><\/p>\n Lazare is expected to work mostly with the bigs. In New Orleans, he played a crucial role in the development of Pelicans center Yves Missi during his rookie season.<\/p>\n After going undrafted out of LSU in 2007, Lazare played eight years overseas and in the NBA’s G-League (formerly D-League).<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Memphis has added three assistants to Iisalo’s staff. Jason March and Erick Schmidt were on Iisalo’s staff during summer league action along with Collins.<\/p>\n March and Schmidt are holdovers from last season’s staff and are the longest tenured members of the Grizzlies organization on the coaching staff.<\/p>\n Iisalo was named Grizzlies interim coach after Memphis fired Taylor Jenkins on March 28. The team promoted Iisalo to the full-time job on May 2 after his first season as the lead assistant coach.<\/p>\n Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.<\/p>\n