The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly in the process of adding a veteran assistant in the coaching staff of head coach Ryan Saunders.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Timberwolves will be hiring Bryan Gates as an assistant coach ahead of the upcoming 2019-20 campaign.
With the Timberwolves struggling throughout the 2018-19 regular season, the Western Conference franchise will now be forced to rebound in a big way come next year.
The Timberwolves are in the process of adding another name to Ryan Saunders' coaching staff: veteran assistant Bryan Gates, league sources tell @TheAthleticMIN
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) June 17, 2019
Not only is Gates a popular figure on the sidelines, but he has a good reputation as well. In February 2019, Gates was selected to join the Jr. NBA Leadership Council, which was originally established back in 2015 to “support the league’s global youth basketball program for boys and girls.”
Gates recently served as an assistant to Dave Joerger in the Sacramento Kings. He spent two seasons with the Kings.
Interestingly, Gates was an assistant for the Timberwolves back in the 2015-16 season, a year before coach Tom Thobodeau took over.
Last season, the Timberwolves finished at a disappointing 36-46, 11th in the ultra-tough Western Conference. The team has only made the playoffs once in the last 15 years.
It remains to be seen how Minnesota plans to improve this summer. They revamped their coaching staff and officially handed the reigns to Ryan Saunders. However, the team is yet to make a big move this offseason.
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