Old-school coaching tactics seem to be wearing on Timberwolves players' nerves in Minnesota.
According to The Associated Press, nearly half of the players on the roster have expressed concern with coach Sam Mitchell, including his platoon-style offensive system and his refusal to take accountability for the team’s 14-32 record.
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Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine told reporters Tuesday he’s not exactly a fan of Mitchell’s development tactics in trying to mold him into a point guard.
"It's not fun. Sometimes unfair," LaVine said. "But he's the coach, I'm the player and sometimes that's what you have to deal with. You can't really do anything about it but play good on the court."
LaVine scored 21 points in 30 minutes during Minnesota’s 114-107 loss to Cleveland on Monday. That was Levine’s first 30-minute game since November.
Mitchell says he’s trying to develop the dynamic young guard the way others have been in the past. If he has to bench him, or yell at him, it's for good reason.
"I tell Zach all the time, when he gets through this, he's going to be a much better player because he's going to have went through the fire," Mitchell said earlier this month. "He's going to be tried and tested. He's going to have felt low and dejected sometimes. But that's how point guards are made."
While Lakers coach Byron Scott’s rigid relationship with his young team has been under a microscope, the Timberwolves’ issues haven’t garnered the same coverage. But the similarities are there.
Both Scott and Mitchell are old-school NBA players from the 1980s and '90s, coaching players who were born at the tail end of their careers. They are also at the bottom of the Western Conference.
In the end, Mitchell and Scott’s tactics may make players like D’Angelo Russell and LaVine better. But if they don’t get better results, they won’t be around long enough to reap the benefits.