![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789982616_366_new-york-knicks-v-washington-wizards-washington-dc-january-07-pablo-e1789912353281.jpg\")
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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 07: Pablo Prigioni #9 of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a shot against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Verizon Center on January 7, 2015 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Carr\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A year after turning down an opportunity to return to New York, Pablo Prigioni<\/a> has moved one seat closer to the front of the Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 bench.<\/p>\n Prigioni has been promoted to Chris Finch\u2019s lead assistant, replacing Micah Nori, the Timberwolves coach revealed in a MinnPost interview<\/a>. Nori left Minnesota during the offseason to become the Portland Trail Blazers\u2019 head coach.<\/p>\n The promotion adds an interesting postscript to the New York Knicks<\/a>\u2019 pursuit of Prigioni last summer. New York received permission to speak with the former Knicks<\/a> guard about joining Mike Brown\u2019s coaching staff but could not lure him away from Minnesota.<\/p>\n The former Knicks guard, cited family reasons, in declining his former team\u2019s offer, SNY\u2019s Ian Begley reported<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n Prigioni\u2019s decision made sense then. It looks even better for him now.<\/p>\n Instead of changing organizations, Prigioni remained with a Timberwolves team that valued his voice and positioned himself to inherit a larger role once Nori departed. The 49-year-old will now serve as Finch\u2019s top assistant while continuing to influence Minnesota\u2019s offense and player development.<\/p>\n Knicks Wanted Pablo Prigioni for Mike Brown\u2019s Staff<\/p>\n The Knicks explored several candidates while assembling Brown\u2019s first staff in 2025. Prigioni carried obvious appeal because of his history in New York and his reputation as a creative offensive coach.<\/p>\n He played two seasons for the Knicks from 2012-15, arriving in the NBA<\/a> at 35 after a distinguished career overseas, making him the oldest rookie in NBA history. His intelligence, anticipation and willingness to advance the ball quickly made him a fan favorite despite modest statistics.<\/p>\n Those same qualities translated naturally to coaching.<\/p>\n Prigioni joined the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> as an assistant in 2018 before moving to Minnesota one year later. He helped the Timberwolves modernize their offense with greater emphasis on pace, spacing and 3-point shooting. His work with Minnesota also allowed him to build a relationship with former Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a>, who had already joined the Knicks when New York pursued Prigioni.<\/p>\n The Knicks considered him for a prominent position under Brown after other assistant-coaching targets proved unavailable. New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> assistant James Borrego and veteran coach Jay Triano were also among the names connected to New York\u2019s search.<\/p>\n Prigioni ultimately stayed in Minnesota, while Brown completed his staff with a mixture of outside hires and assistants retained from Tom Thibodeau\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n Prigioni Takes Over Micah Nori\u2019s Role<\/p>\n \n Nori\u2019s departure created the opening Prigioni had been waiting for.<\/p>\n As lead assistant, Prigioni should carry more responsibility in game preparation, in-game strategy and communication with players. He also gives Finch continuity after Minnesota lost one of the league\u2019s most recognizable assistant coaches.<\/p>\n The promotion represents another step in Prigioni\u2019s steady rise through the coaching ranks. It may also place him on the radar for future head-coaching searches if the Timberwolves remain among the Western Conference\u2019s strongest teams.<\/p>\n For the Knicks, this is not necessarily a story of a damaging missed opportunity. Brown\u2019s staff helped New York reach its ultimate goal without Prigioni, validating the organization\u2019s eventual choices.<\/p>\n Still, New York\u2019s interest looks well-founded.<\/p>\n The coach the Knicks tried to bring back to Madison Square Garden did not remain an ordinary assistant for long. One year later, Prigioni has become Finch\u2019s No. 2 in Minnesota \u2014 and potentially one of the NBA\u2019s next serious head-coaching candidates.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 07: Pablo Prigioni #9 of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":840274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,6],"class_list":["post-840273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-basketball","tag-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117308306970741062","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789982617_46_minnesota-timberwolves-v-denver-nuggets-game-one-denver-colorado-may.jpg\")
Getty\u00a0Head Coach Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> talks with his coaches, including Pablo Prigioni, on the bench against the Denver Nuggets<\/a> during the second quarter in Game One of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 04, 2024 in Denver, Colorado.\n<\/p>\n