A former role player who played for eight years in the NBA, but also in Italy, Spain and Greece, Elston Turner (64) then became one of the most respected defensive assistants in the NBA.
He notably worked with Mike Dunleavy at the Blazers (1996-2000), with Rick Adelman at the Kings (2000-2006) and at the Rockets (2007-2011), with Dave Joerger at the Grizzlies (2013-2016) and at the Kings (2016- 2019) then with Mike D'Antoni to the Rockets (2019-2021). Before joining Chris Finch at Wolves.
“Like divorced parents trying to co-parent”
Often considered as a “head coach”, he ultimately had to settle for the position of “Minister of Defense” throughout his career. In Minnesota, we are not complaining since the team is the best defense of the season…
With the Wolves, he works particularly with Rudy Gobert, the quadruple DPOY obviously being the basis of the team's defensive base. But when describing the relationship between the center and the assistant, Chris Finch thinks. “Like divorced parents trying to co-parent” laughs the “head coach”. “Healthy co-parenting. My only reservation is that they are not divorced. They are on the same team. »
A funny definition, which describes the game of compromise between the two men. And lively conversations “that started with a swear word and ended with a swear word.”
” I love it “ However, assures the Frenchman. “I love people who are passionate. We don't have to agree on everything. But we agree on one thing: we want to win, and we trust each other so these conversations are always healthy. »
On Elston Turner's side, we are continually trying to get Rudy Gobert out of his habits, and in particular this “drop coverage” that he learned to perfect at Utah, but which can show its limits in the playoffs. On Rudy Gobert's side, we don't want to go too far outwards on the screens either.
“It’s obvious that he defaults to doing what he wants to do because he’s so good at it.”confirms Chris Finch. “But in terms of the game plan, he has to be able to stay on the field, be in all these high-stakes situations, and so we have to be able to do those things. »
“But Rudy has been a lot more open-minded this year and a lot of that is because he realized he had to learn lessons from last year.”
If “trusting Rudy Gobert” was the key to the Wolves’ offensive success this season for Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert trusting his teammates on defense was also essential.
“Rudy can be quite stubborn and stubborn, like most great players”continues Chris Finch. “They are great because they believe in what they do and do it well. But Rudy has been a lot more open-minded this year and a lot of that is because he realized he had to learn lessons from last year. He has to trust his teammates to do what they need to do. »
Elston Turner confirms: “We have other good defenders. And he doesn't have to clean up every situation, because we have good defenders. »
So, unlike last season, where the Wolves changed their defensive style depending on the presence of Rudy Gobert on the field, causing too many errors, the team remained more coherent this season, the pivot accepting more to mix the defensive coverage, even if it means going out or “switching” to the outside.
Between two swear words with Elston Turner, obviously.
“He’s old school, but he’s true”concludes Rudy Gobert. “Having coaches who are real, who tell you things like they are, it’s invaluable. Sometimes people are afraid of upsetting you. If you want to win, I tell a guy what I want to tell him. He tells me what he needs to tell me. That's love “.
