The Minnesota Timberwolves have found a vital jolt of energy upon the firing of former head coach and president Tom Thibodeau, now under interim head coach Ryan Saunders (son of the late Flip Saunders). Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger, a native of Minnesota, could make a potential change in the offseason once both franchises evaluate the state of their team.

“Obviously I’m a Minnesota kid, so it’s interesting, but at the same time, my focus is right here, right now,” said Joerger, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California. “I mean, we’re having a great time with our guys. We’re watching them grow every day. I feel like I’ve worked my tail off, I know the players have and the coaching staff — to put us in a position where we have tremendous chemistry.”

The Timberwolves needed a quick plug to fill the hole at the head coaching position, opting for Ryan, who worked his way up in the organization after joining as an assistant in 2014 after several years in player development with the Washington Wizards.

His father Flip coached the Timberwolves for 10 straight seasons from the 1995-96 season to the and 2004-05 season and continued to coach before his sudden death after the 2014-15 season (in which he returned to Minnesota after coaching two teams between his stints with the Timberwolves). Flip would pass away after losing a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

True to the Saunders namesake, Ryan is following the same charismatic and energetic blueprint his father left before passing.

Meanwhile, Joerger has done a great job with the Kings, making them one of the surprise teams of this season at 20-21 and battling for playoff position. If his schism with the front office winds up as a reason to part ways, the Wolves will also find it interesting to contact him at some point in the offseason.