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Jazz assistant Alex Jensen interviews for head coaching jobs with Cavs, Grizzlies

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) l-r Utah Jazz assistant coaches, Zach Guthrie, Alex Jensen, Johnnie Bryant and Igor Kokoskov talk strategy with head coach Quin Snyder during a time out against the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at the Vivant Smart Home Arena.

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) l-r Utah Jazz assistant coaches, Zach Guthrie, Alex Jensen, Johnnie Bryant and Igor Kokoskov talk strategy with head coach Quin Snyder during a time out against the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at the Vivant Smart Home Arena.

Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen has either interviewed or will interview for two of the NBA’s head coaching vacancies this week.

Jensen interviewed with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, as first reported by The Athletic. Meanwhile, Jensen plans to formally interview with the Cleveland Cavaliers brain trust later this week, according to ESPN. He also interviewed for the BYU head coaching job earlier this month.

The former University of Utah All-WAC team selection has been an assistant with the Jazz since 2013, first starting under Ty Corbin. Quin Snyder kept Jensen on his staff when hired in 2014. In 2018, Snyder named Jensen his lead assistant after former right-hand man Igor Kokoskov left to coach the Phoenix Suns. Jensen has led Jazz summer league teams numerous times in his coaching tenure.

One of the largest ways Jensen has made his mark is as Rudy Gobert’s development coach, turning the big man from a raw prospect coming out of France into one of the NBA’s best centers — and its Defensive Player of the Year. That player development experience figures to be a big reason why Jensen is appealing to the Grizzlies and Cavaliers, two of the youngest teams in the league.

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