NBA: Ranking all 30 head coaches ahead of the 2017-18 season
15. Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau’s first year in Minnesota was a disappointment to the majority of NBA minds. His team was picked to be playoff bound and fell well short. This is why Thibs fell to 15 on this list, but don’t get used to him being there.
The Wolves had an offseason to remember for decades. A draft night trade for a top 5 two-way player in the league in Jimmy Butler, signing Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague in free agency, and adding another year of experience to KAT and Wiggins will shoot Minnesota way up the charts in the Western Conference.
Thibs averaged 51 wins a season in five years as head coach of the Chicago Bulls, and in 2017 won 20 fewer games. Last year was a fluke for the T-Wolves full of growing pains and defensive lapses. Look for Thibs to run his guys into the ground on their way to a 50+ win season in 2018.