MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- In his first three months being coached by Sam Mitchell, Minnesota Timberwolves youngster Zach LaVine has endured it all. Position switches, benching, yelling, pushing, prodding, all methods Mitchell employs to mold a 20-year-old in his second season.
Mitchell said he has treated LaVine the same way he coached Jose Calderon in Toronto and the same way Spurs coach Gregg Popovich developed Tony Parker back in the day.
''I tell Zach all the time, when he gets through this, he's going to be a much better player because he's going to have went through the fire,'' Mitchell said earlier this month after LaVine broke out of a shooting slump.