Chris Finch has now been the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves for five and a half seasons. In franchise history, either he or Flip Saunders tops any major team head-coaching leaderboard.
Before joining the Timberwolves, Finch was an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans. On his podcast, Dane Moore had the pleasure of talking to the Wolves’ head coach. When Moore asked Finch about his new star point guard, LaMelo Ball, Finch brought up an interesting, underreported fact.
“I coached his brother in New Orleans… coached Lonzo (Ball), who was a joy to coach,” Finch said. “I knew the family, and I knew the DNA of Lonzo, and I’d been told by people that they’re about the right things. Getting to know him so far has been easy.”
Finch coaching Lonzo is something that hadn’t really been reported since it was announced that the Timberwolves would be trading for LaMelo back in June. It could be useful this season when Finch deals with LaMelo for the first time.
LaMelo’s personality is similar to Lonzo’s
The Ball brothers aren’t exact facsimiles on the court. Lonzo is about two inches shorter and isn’t the scorer that LaMelo is. LaMelo hasn’t been the defender that Lonzo has been, at least before Lonzo’s frequent injuries.
Both have displayed the same noticeable joy while playing. Earlier this offseason, in an interview with Chris Hine, Finch said LaMelo has an “infectious quality”. That helps allow him to build strong relationships with his teammates. Bouts of moodiness from the team were evident to anyone watching their games last season. It didn’t take long for LaMelo to become close with his new backcourt partner, Anthony Edwards, so the moodiness should occur less frequently.
It’s well known that their father, LaVar Ball, is quite outspoken. That has calmed down a bit in recent years, although he now shares a podcast with the fathers of Dwyane Wade and Jayson Tatum. Most likely, Finch had prior dealings with LaVar from his time with Lonzo in New Orleans, and he may have an idea of how best to talk to him.
During the 2020–21 season, when Finch and Lonzo were both with the Pelicans, Lonzo started all 55 of his appearances and averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.5 steals.
So why hasn’t the fact that Finch coached LaMelo’s brother for a season been discussed? Probably because New Orleans wasn’t that good, going 31–41 in 2020–21 and falling short of the Play-In Tournament. It's also easier to remember Lonzo's tenures with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
Fans know that Finch was on the Toronto Raptors' coaching staff before joining Minnesota. It’s probably less well known that, before Toronto, he was part of the Pelicans’ coaching staff.
Anyway, Finch coaching Lonzo before is a bonus that can help with his dealings with LaMelo. Finch has shared positive comments and thoughts about LaMelo since he joined the team, and it will be fun to see their interactions this season.
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