Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch addressed the end of the team’s season in a detailed exit press conference on Saturday, May 16, offering an unfiltered assessment of both the team’s progress and its collapse in the Western Conference Finals race.
“Yeah, honestly, it’s I can’t really, John, at this point. It’s tough,” Finch said when asked to reflect on the season. “I mean, you know, there’s certainly good points in it.”
He pointed to internal goals that were not fully met over the course of the year. “Things that we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season. You know, I think Jaden’s growth was one thing that was a stated goal of ours. You know, an emergent Donte. You know, trying to build on our continuity, which I’m not sure we did a great job there.”
Finch also evaluated performance benchmarks in blunt terms on both ends of the floor. “Offensively, we were outside the top 10. That’s not really acceptable for us. Defensively, outside the top five, not also not really acceptable for us. So, it’s like it’s a mixed bag right now.”
The head coach pointed to inconsistency and adversity throughout the year, including a difficult playoff stretch. “These seasons are long. They throw up a lot of adversity. Some of it we handled well, some of it we didn’t.”
He also summarized the late-season downturn in direct terms. “The wheels came off. There’s no doubt about that.”
Minnesota’s playoff run ended in a Western Conference Semifinals defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, where multiple lopsided losses defined the series. Finch did not avoid that reality. “Not a big fan of getting beat by 30 three times in a series. That’s certainly nothing to be proud of.”
Even with disappointment, he referenced the broader trajectory of the franchise over recent years. “They were the better team and you know having said that, we still you know, look at the totality of where we are as a program. You know, one of the only two teams that’s been to this point in the playoffs in the last three seasons.”
Finch also addressed structural and schematic decisions made during the season, including major role changes. “There’s some original sin that was created. I’m, you know, flipping Ant to the point guard spot just on the eve of the season.”
He acknowledged both benefits and trade-offs from that adjustment. “It was good for him overall, but it maybe affected us as a team a little bit more. You know, it kind of threw off the rhythm and style at which we had been playing.”
On roster balance and rotation decisions, Finch explained the competing pressures. “When you’re trying to, you know, win a championship or play at the very top of the league, there really are no meaningless minutes.”
He emphasized the importance of skill sets that support elite creation and execution. “We just have to have guys who can help them be as their best version of themselves.”
Finch also highlighted the offensive direction of the league and Minnesota’s needs moving forward. “Ball handling, playmaking, ball skill, that’s it’s more valuable than ever in the league right now.”
He pointed to how opposing teams created advantages in the series. “We have we need more guys that can do that and get to a spot and make a play not maybe for not necessarily for just themselves but also for you know the benefit of the offense.”
Looking ahead, Finch framed the offseason as an evaluation period across the roster and system. “Got to look at everything. Certainly going to be a big evaluation summer.”
