On Friday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves earned their biggest win of the season when they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-107. But six minutes into the match, head coach Chris Finch was sent off for berating the officials.
Coach Finch crashes.
He was sent off within six minutes.
pic.twitter.com/egUIRt3bhf— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) December 20, 2025
It seemed that Finch’s expulsion gave the Wolves an extra sense of energy and pride. Lead assistant coach Micah Nori took over for Finch and led the Wolves to victory. After Finch suffered a knee injury during the 2024 playoffs, Nori took over as the de facto head coach and led the franchise to the conference finals. This put Nori on the national radar, but Wolves fans have always known what he brings to the table.
Nori has since interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs, including the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns. Honestly, I’m surprised Nori hasn’t gotten a head coaching job yet. Either way, that seems destined to change next season, which unfortunately means the Wolves will lose him.
Micah Nori will likely earn a head coaching job outside of Minnesota
Now, a portion of the Timberwolves fanbase is undoubtedly hoping to see him as Finch’s successor.
However, I don’t see that as a realistic possibility unless things take a major turn. Finch is the most successful coach in franchise history, and by all accounts he is the respect of the Wolves dressing room – that’s not someone you get rid of. That doesn’t change the fact that Nori deserves a head coaching job and will likely get one elsewhere.
If you look around the league, there are few assistant coaches as qualified for a head coaching position as Nori. He has been an assistant coach since 2009 and the Wolves’ lead assistant since 2021. Nori is known for his defensive schemes, which routinely puts the Wolves among the best defenses. His fantastic defensive plans were on full display in Friday’s win, where Wolves recorded a DRTG of 102.9.
It’s also worth noting that Nori recently started taking over the Timberwolves’ late-game play-calling. This, combined with his role in the 2024 playoffs, shows he can handle head coaching responsibilities. Nori is also beloved by Timberwolves players, with Anthony Edwards somewhat famous called him a “basketball genius.”
Finch took over for the Wolves midway through the 2020-21 season while he was an assistant for the Toronto Raptors. However, that was an unprecedented move, and not something fans should expect from Nori. As a result, Wolves fans should be happy that Nori will be sticking around for at least the rest of this season.
But with a handful of head coaching positions likely to open up this season, it’s reasonable to expect Nori to land one. Friday night’s thrilling win should serve as a reminder of how lucky the Wolves are to have Nori, and it should also be further evidence that he likely won’t be an assistant for long.
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