Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 30 greatest players of all-time

• 10 seasons with Timberwolves (1989-92, 1995-2002)
• Averaged 9.5 points and 4 rebounds with Timberwolves

Sam Mitchell was a member of the inaugural Timberwolves team in 1989-90, and played 10 of his 13 seasons in the NBA as a member of the Wolves.

Mitchell was a 26-year-old rookie in 1989 after having spent his year since college playing in the Continental Basketball Association and overseas in Europe. But over his first stint with the Wolves, spanning three seasons from 1989 to 1992, Mitchell averaged 12.4 points and six rebounds, including a career-high 14.6 points per game in 1990-91.

Mitchell was traded to Indiana after the 1991-92 season, along with Pooh Richardson (No. 15 on this list) in exchange for Chuck Person and Michael Williams (No. 21).

But he came back, signing as a free agent in 1995 and spending the final seven seasons of his career in a Timberwolves uniform. He as mostly a bench piece, spot-starting occasionally and seeing his minutes drop steadily from the mid-20s per game to just 18.6 per game in 1999-2000, all the way to 9.8 per game in 2001-02, his last year in the NBA.

Mitchell is best known by Wolves fans for his longevity, as well as the mentor role that he played for Kevin Garnett throughout his formative years in the league. Garnett often cites Mitchell as a key figure in his development in the league, and in a strange twist, Mitchell had a chance to coach Garnett as interim head coach of the Wolves in 2015-16, Garnett’s last in the league and, tragically, because of the passing of Flip Saunders.

This case is one of longevity, reputation,a nd overall impact on the organization rather than peak. Was Al Jefferson’s (to pick one player at semi-random) peak greater than Mitchell’s? Yeah, of course. But he also only played three years in Minnesota, while Mitchell was a positive contributor over the course of 10 seasons, and played a large role in KG’s career.

And that’s enough for No. 7 in my book.