There will be some changes to the Timberwolves' assistant coaching staff next season as associate head coach David Vanterpool and assistant Bryan Gates won't return, a source confirmed.
Timberwolves assistants David Vanterpool and Bryan Gates won't return next season.
Chris Finch, who took over on Feb. 21, will restructure some of his staff for 2021-22.
May 19, 2021 at 6:09AM
Coach Chris Finch will now have an opportunity to fill out his staff after he took the job midseason from Ryan Saunders with an assistant staff already in place.
Both Vanterpool and Gates spent the last two seasons with the Wolves. Vanterpool came from Portland and was billed as the defensive coordinator of the Wolves' staff. The Wolves struggled on that end of the floor the last two seasons and finished 28th in defensive efficiency. But Vanterpool was instrumental in the development of players like Anthony Edwards.
The Wolves chose not to hire Vanterpool as their head coach after firing Saunders and hiring Finch the next day, a move that drew criticism around the league for an expedited search process that seemed to exclude minority candidates. President Gersson Rosas pushed back at that, saying Wolves assistants like Vanterpool and Pablo Prigioni were considered.
Vanterpool also had former players like Damian Lillard advocating for him to get a head coaching job.
Gates came to the Wolves for a second time and had previously been with multiple teams like Sacramento and New Orleans.
The Wolves cut a 19-point second-half deficit to two, but Naz Reid’s three-point attempt missed at the final horn against the defending NBA champions.
