Minnesota Timberwolves swingman James Nunnally had nothing but positive things to say about his new coach in an interview with Kyle Ratke of NBA.com.
Nunnally has played all over the world after stints in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers. From Greece to Puerto Rico to Israel to Italy, Nunnally is certainly well traveled and experienced.
While he had multiple NBA suitors, Nunnally knew the Timberwolves were the team for him because of head coach Tom Thibodeau's mentality and the teams potential.
When asked what the main appeal behind the Timberwolve's was, Nunnally explained:
“Felt like this was a great fit and learning from a defensive-minded coach, a rising team in the West. They had some ups and downs last year, a couple of injuries. I feel like they could have been higher seeded. I feel like a picked a good place. The need for outside shooting kind of led us to each other.”
Thibodeau has cultivated a reputation as a hard-nosed coach who preaches defense religiously. He won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08 as the defensive coordinator, finishing with the best defensive team in the league.
Nunnally is known as a “3-and-D” wing, employed to knock down open threes and lock down opponents on the other end of the floor.
This skillset is a good fit for the Timberwolves, who ranked 22nd in defensive ranking and 17th in three-point shooting last season, which is not up to par for a team that aspires to make noise in a crowded Western Conference playoff bracket.
The addition of Nunnally could help raise both these statistics and improve off the first-round exit from last year.
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