The Minnesota Timberwolves have made a final addition to their coaching staff for the upcoming season.
Also, Anthony Edwards is apparently taller than he was when he was drafted less than a year ago. A frightening thought, indeed.
Minnesota Timberwolves hire Elston Turner as assistant coach
The Minnesota Timberwolves have hired Elston Turner as the final piece of what has turned into a diverse and experienced coaching staff.
Earlier this summer, the Wolves announced a pair of promotions and a key new hire. At that time, Pablo Prigioni and Joseph Blair were each retained after having been initially hired to be part of former head coach Ryan Saunders’ staff. Both Prigioni and Blair were promoted to new roles for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
Blair was expected to fill the role of the departed David Vanterpool as defensive coordinator, but he left the organization to take an elevated role with the Washington Wizards right before he was expected to coach the Wolves’ entry at Las Vegas Summer League.
Now, the Wolves have filled Blair’s vacated role with Elston Turner, a longtime assistant in the league who had an eight-year playing career.
The hire was first reported by Darren Wolfson of KSTP and SKOR North and confirmed by the team in a press release.
Mentioned on @SkorNorth today of a #Timberwolves hiring being imminent. And here we go: Elston Turner is joining Chris Finch's staff, I hear. Once upon a time interviewed for the Wolves' head gig. Long-time NBA player and ass't, has a defensive background. Nice add.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) August 31, 2021
Turner immediately becomes the most experienced coach on the staff and will surely join the front of the bench along with Prigioni and newcomer Micah Nori, who worked with Finch in Denver. He has interviewed for several head-coaching vacancies in the past and most recently coordinated the Houston Rockets defense.
Also in the Wolves press release are notes on a few additional hires to the coaching staff, including video coordinators, quality control coaches, and more. The one other notable addition is Joe Boylan, who joined with the title of Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development. Boylan spent the last three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, including two as their Director of Player Development. He has been part of various NBA and G League staffs since 2011.
The Wolves also promoted several members of the coaching staffs of the Iowa Wolves and Minnesota Lynx, which fits with the culture and process that Rosas has espoused since his hiring a little over two years ago.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is growing — literally
Apparently, Edwards is taller than he was when he was drafted in November 2020.
Last year, Edwards was listed at 6-foot-4. Now, head coach Chris Finch says that Edwards is 6-foot-6.
In perhaps the least surprising comment of the offseason, Finch reports to Christopher Hine of the Star Tribune that Edwards warned him that a 6-foot-6 version of himself would equal Michael Jordan.
Edwards just turned 20 years old in early August, so he’ll remain just 20 for the entirety of his sophomore season in the league. Surely, he’s done growing at this point, but who knows.
A taller Edwards could mean a lot of things. Provided that he doesn’t lose any of his quickness or fluidity, it’ll be absolutely pivotal on defense as he learns to position himself to clog passing lanes and contest shots more adeptly than he did as a rookie.
Perhaps the biggest boon could be on the glass, where Edwards was underwhelming for much of his rookie campaign but showed impressive flashes. Finch told a story about asking Edwards to grab seven rebounds on one particular night, and Ant did exactly that.
Look out, league. Michael Jordan 2.0 is here.