As someone with incredible experience and knowledge about basketball, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Elston Turner knows what it takes for players to reach the highest level and win championships.
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“I wanted somebody from the NBA or from any sports team to come back and talk to us about what to expect, what to eat, what to do, how long to work out. I had so many questions, but nobody to really answer them,” Turner, 66, told Knox News on July 26. “I said if I ever make it, I’m going to come back and provide all the answers that these guys would need.”
Turner played at Ole Miss, leading the Rebels to their first NCAA tournament appearance during his senior season in 1981, a first-round loss to Kansas.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard was selected in the 1981 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks at No. 43 overall. He played eight seasons with time also spent with the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls. He later played in the CBA and overseas in Italy and Greece.
After his playing career and two seasons as a coach in the CBA, Turner was hired as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996. And that’s been his job except for two seasons with stops in Sacramento twice, Houston twice, Phoenix, Memphis and since 2021 with the Timberwolves.
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Minnesota made it to the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year, losing this season to eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Mar 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and assistant coach Elston Turner and center Rudy Gobert (27) sit as they watch the team play the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
When examining what players will have success at both the collegiate and pro level, Turner said that he makes sure to check fundamentals and nurture skills.
“Everybody loves to play, but not all of them play the right way or fundamentally correct with the skills they’re going to need at the college level or beyond that, the professional level,” said Turner, who was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on July 19.
Turner also said he helps prepare players for what to expect off the court, including handling pressure and working with a team.
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With his coaching experience, Turner has knowledge in helping to set rosters. With the idea that NBA teams need a “big three” to win championships floating around the league, Turner disagrees.
“The NBA has changed a lot. You don’t need a big three to win, but you do need chemistry,” Turner said. “Oklahoma City didn’t have three all-stars. You need players that are selfless and that don’t have an agenda.”
Elston Turner’s starting five of NBA greats
Being around the game as long as he has, Turner declared that his dream starting lineup, past or present players, his five would be Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Dirk Nowitzki.
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“I’d pick them because they were my favorites in the league,” Turner said. “That’s a pretty good lineup. We’d go undefeated with that one.”
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why NBA assistant Elston Turner keeps coming back to Austin-East