Original Minnesota Timberwolves Player Sam Mitchell Says Kevin Garnett Was An Impact Player Since Day One

Ray Richardson | Jun 30, 2024

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Sam Mitchell needed only one day to determine that Kevin Garnett would become “something special” in the NBA.

Mitchell, an original member of the Timberwolves’ first team in 1989-90, had been in the league seven years when the Timberwolves selected Garnett with the No. 5 pick in the 1995.

“I saw what we had on the first day of practice,” Mitchell said of the future Hall of Famer.

Mitchell was asked by Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale mentor Garnett, who was 19 when the team drafted him out of Chicago’s Farragut High School. It was an interesting request by McHale.

Mitchell was the Timberwolves’ starting small forward, the same position Garnett was groomed to play. Tensions never surfaced between Mitchell and Garnett. The two became close friends and had a family-type relationship during the seven years they played together in Minnesota.

"The very first practice, his talent was evident," Mitchell said. "He was the freakiest guy. He was the longest, the most athletic."

Mitchell started the first 31 games in the 1995-96 season, but it was obvious to everyone associated with the team that Garnett’s time was coming – and the Timberwolves needed him on the floor more.

When Flip Saunders took over for Bill Blair as head coach on Dec. 18, Mitchell told Saunders he should put Garnett in the starting lineup. Saunders eventually took Mitchell’s advice. 

Eleven games into his first head-coach job, Saunders replaced Mitchell in the starting lineup with Garnett for the Timberwolves’ game at the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 9, 1996. As folks tend to say, the rest is history.

Except for rare injuries, Garnett started every game over his next 13 seasons with the Timberwolves. Garnett’s acceleration was so swift he was named a reserve for the Western Conference All-Star team in his second season.

Mitchell is humble about his connection to Garnett, but many people in the Timberwolves organization credit Mitchell with playing a vital role in Garnett’s early rise to stardom.

Ray Richardson is a contributor to Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at RayRich55@gmail.com.