The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the most active teams in the NBA this offseason when it comes to front office and coaching moves.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made yet another addition to their coaching staff. As first announced by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Pablo Prigioni was added to the staff as an assistant coach.
Minnesota is hiring Brooklyn’s player development coach Pablo Prigioni as an assistant coach, league sources tell ESPN. Prigioni has common Rockets history with Minnesota President Gersson Rosas. He’ll focus on offensive end under coach Ryan Saunders.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 7, 2019
This hire comes just one day after the Timberwolves hired David Vanterpool as an associate head coach. Vanterpool is known for being a defensive-minded coach.
On the other side of the floor, Prigioni will be an offensive mind to assist new Head Coach Ryan Saunders. A former NBA player, Prigioni has on-court experience and knowledge to pass down to players. After playing overseas as a young professional baskteball player, he played four seasons in the NBA late in his career, averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 assists in 16.9 minutes per game on his career.
Upon retiring from being a professional basketball player in 2017, Pablo Prigioni immediately shifted his focus to coaching. He was a head coach in Spain for just over a year before joining the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach. After one season with the Nets, he was hired by the Timberwolves by President of Basketball Operations, Gersson Rosas.
Prigioni and Rosas are familiar with each other as they were both with the Houson Rockets organization in the 2014-15 season. Prigioni was a player while Rosas was in the front office. This was key in the hiring decision as their past together in Houston was extremely important.
Gianluca Pascucci, who is now the assistant General Manager of the Timberwolves, was also with the Brooklyn Nets last season. Prigioni marks the second former Net hired by the Timberwolves already this summer. This may be a smart approach, as Brooklyn is definietly headed in the right direction as a franchise.
Prigioni has recieved praise for developing players, especially on the offensive end. As evidence of this, he was part of the reason D’Angelo Russell had the breakout season he did offensively.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made many exciting moves in the front office and coaching staff this offseason. If all of the pieces end up fitting, the organization will be in a great spot. The next step is having the same kind of success acquiring free agents and making beneficial trades for the remainder of the summer.