Minnesota Timberwolves: Wolves populate the fringes of NBA GM survey

Minnesota Timberwolves newcomers receive recognition

While Towns and Edwards grab most of the headlines — and rightfully so — there are a pair of members of the organization who were not with the team at the start of last season that are mentioned in the NBA GM survey.

Admittedly, calling head coach Chris Finch a newcomer is fudging things a bit, as he was hired back in late February. But this is his first training camp, preseason, and season opener in the organization, so it counts.

Finch was listed as one of the “others receiving votes” when GMs were asked which coach runs the best offense. Interestingly, there were only nine coaches listed.

The group was led by Utah’s Quin Snyder, followed closely by the usual suspects in Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer. Second-year coach Steve Nash made the list, landing at No. 4 with 10 percent of the vote. Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Phoenix’s Monty Williams tied for fifth-place.

Finch squeezed on with his former boss, Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, as well as Rick Carlisle, now with the Indiana Pacers.

Finch making the list at all is a testament to his long career as a top assistant; he has only coached 36 regular-season NBA games as the top man on the bench. With the exception of Nash, everyone else on the list is a long-time head coach. It’s going to be fascinating to see the entire scope of what Finch is able to do with the talented offensive group of players that he has on his team.

The final Wolves mention was of backup point guard Patrick Beverley. Long considered one of the league’s best all-around defenders, he squeezed onto the list as one of only seven (!) players considered to be the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.

Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks led the way with 50 percent of the vote, followed by Simmons’ 17 percent. Miami’s Jimmy Butler and the injured Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers tied for third at 10 percent, and Antetokounmpo garnered seven percent of the vote.

Beverley and Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics were the only other players who received any votes in the category.

Given that Beverley and Smart are the only two players on the list to have never been All-Stars, it underscores just how well-respected they both are on the defensive end of the floor.

Not so coincidentally, perimeter defense has been the top shortcoming of the Wolves over the past couple of seasons. Adding a legitimately elite point-of-attack defender is going to make a gigantic difference for the Timberwolves in 2021-22.

Overall, this was a strong showing for the Wolves in the annual GM survey, especially given the shockingly low expectations that many folks in the national media have for the franchise this season.