Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders added son Ryan to his staff as an assistant coach for next season.
Ryan Saunders comes to Minnesota after five years with the Washington Wizards working as an advance scout and in analytics.
Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton worked with the younger Saunders in Washington and expects him to contribute to the franchise’ player development.
“Ryan brings a unique skill set of player development, analytics and team preparation to our team,” Newton said. “He played a key role in the development of Washington’s rising stars John Wall and Bradley Beal, and he served as the primary scout last season as the Wizards won their first playoff series since 2004-05.
“His ability to develop young talent, as well as his statistical analysis and game preparation techniques, will be an extremely valuable addition to our team.”
Flip Saunders’ coaching staff now includes Sam Mitchell, Sidney Lowe and David Adelman, who stayed on from former coach Rick Adelman’s staff.