The Minnesota Timberwolves have completed 100 games since hiring Chris Finch off the Toronto Raptors staff last year. Since he crossed the border, the Wolves are 47-53 (.470 winning percentage). That’s good for third all-time on the Wolves head coach rankings, just behind current New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
We’ve learned a lot about Finch already. But his straightforward and occasionally brutal honesty has been at an all-time high during Minnesota’s struggles heading into the break, particularly on the defensive end.
As you can see on this blown defensive play by D’Angelo Russell, Finch doesn’t care who you are. If you don’t show effort, he will not hesitate to chew you out.
Ayo Dosunmu soars for the easy dunk. On the right side of the screen, you can see Finch immediately call for a timeout and confront DLo for his poor defensive effort. It isn’t the first time he’s engaged a player. He hasn’t been afraid to bench any player at any time. In this case, his point guard makes an obvious low-effort play which some coaches may let slide, but not Finch. He always expects maximum effort, which is part of the reason I think the Wolves have experienced such a culture change this season.
This level of expectations can keep a team like the Wolves afloat. If a high-energy player like Jarred Vanderbilt were to let up, this team would fall apart. And while I don’t think V8 plans on lowering his rev count anytime soon, Finch needs to hold his players accountable.
Finch hasn’t been for the excuses recently, either. After a rough stretch of games, some players started to claim their play was declining due to fatigue. After the win over the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 13, Finch said, “I’m done talking about being tired. I’ll talk about the performance.”
While Finch seems like he’s being a little harsh, it’s essential to realize that he’s not completely invalidating the players’ words. He’s just moving past the excuse and looking at results. He understands his players are tired. The key for him seems to be that every team is tired.
Karl-Anthony Towns recently talked about fatigue after the Feb. 16 loss to the Toronto Raptors. “You can just see the fatigue in us,” he said. “I think the shots you can see were real short. Just free throws were short, that fatigue caught up to us.”
Is there a conflict brewing here? If there is, it’s relatively minor. KAT plays 32 minutes a night. It’s pretty reasonable for him to be a little tired. On the other hand, it’s fair for Finch to expect results from his best player.
Finch reiterated his stance before the All-Star Break. “I hope everyone can get some of their legs back or whatever,” Finch stated, “But you know my thoughts on this. I’m tired of hearing about how tired everyone is.”
Is Finch’s unflinching approach wearing on his players? It doesn’t look like it, given what they’ve said publicly.
Although this praise from Pat Bev was early in the season, there’s no evidence to show any player bristling at Finch’s honesty. There’s only been evidence for the contrary.
Finch has had support from almost every player on the roster, including Beverley, probably the most important locker room presence.
The Wolves have a 90% chance to make the playoffs this season, and coaching deserves a lot of credit for that. In Finch’s first full year, he led a 24-game turnaround from last year’s 7-29 record before the All-Star Break.
Finch’s no-nonsense approach has proven to keep his players concentrated. Although it may seem harsh to some, it seems like his players understand it’s just tough love.
