Sam Mitchell will not be the Timberwolves' coach next season, the team has announced. The interim coach will be let go as the front office searches for someone to fill the position permanently.
Timberwolves relieve Sam Mitchell of coaching duties
The Timberwolves won’t keep their interim coach past this season.
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Mitchell, a longtime member of the franchise, was Flip Saunders’ head assistant coming into the season. With Saunders leaving the position permanently when his illness became more serious, Mitchell became the interim head coach, a title he held for the rest of the year.
His stint can be considered a success, as he established a culture of accountability and Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the young players on the roster improved steadily. Some of his decisions, however, were questionable. He stuck with Zach LaVine as a backup point guard for too long and continued to de-emphasize the 3-point shot on offense, a concept that runs counter to the style that most teams in the league are embracing to good results.
Ultimately, it’s not surprising for management to target a new coach to continue the work that Saunders started. Mitchell is set in his ways, for better and for worse. With such a young and talented group, getting a more flexible leader with a more updated playbook seems like the right course of action.
Mitchell, 52, coached the Raptors for almost five years and led them to the playoffs twice before becoming an assistant coach in Minnesota. In the 2006-07 season he won Coach of the Year.
See More:
