Ryan Saunders
Ryan Saunders
Chris Finch is the current head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also holds the title as the best coach in the history of the franchise. His team is fresh off back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals. Of course fans would love a championship, but those aspirations would have been astronomical not so long ago.
If Finch is the best coach in franchise history the late Flip Saunders is the most beloved. He made his mark on the organization during it’s previous heyday, and he hailed from Minnesota as well.
Flip’s influence and personality was so ingrained in the franchise that it didn’t feel totally outlandish when his son, Ryan Saunders, took over as head coach in 2018 following years of assistant work. He took his lumps, but remains among the best assistants in the league, and he continues to find opportunities.
Ryan Saunders headed to Memphis Grizzlies
The Minnesota Timberwolves employed Ryan Saunders for parts of three seasons as their head coach. After he was fired during the 2020-21 season, Saunders landed an assistant gig with the Denver Nuggets. He’s changing teams again, and this time heads to Memphis.
The Grizzlies will be the fourth franchise Saunders has coached with. He spent five years in Washington before his eight in Minnesota. The 2025-26 season will be Saunders’ 17th season employed at the NBA level.
Saunders coached 137 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves and finished with a 43-94 record. It was a tough time of transition for the franchise, and Saunders probably needed a better situation. His first season with the Denver Nuggets, back in the assistant ranks, culminated with a 53-29 record including an NBA Championship.
After winning a ring, Saunders remained on the Nuggets coaching staff for each of the past two seasons under head coach Mike Malone. Somewhat shockingly though, Denver fired Malone with a 47-32 record last season just before the playoffs. This left Saunders’ status up in the air.
He now joins a Memphis Grizzlies team that, like Denver, surprisingly fired Taylor Jenkins with a 44-29 record just before the playoffs. They turned the team over to Tuomas Lisalo, and Saunders is joining him as the top assistant.
The Grizzlies will be looking for a different identity in the year ahead. They have traded Desmond Bane this offseason in a June blockbuster, and presumably Ja Morant could be moved as well. Saunders will look to bring a steadying presence under Lisalo. His work as a head coach, and experience winning it all, should help to ease the transition.
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