D’Angelo Russell defends coach Ryan Saunders despite Wolves’ struggles

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the worst teams in basketball right now, but D’Angelo Russell refuses to point fingers.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, the Wolves guard defended head coach Ryan Saunders in spite of the team’s struggles.

“I feel bad for Coach right now,” said Russell, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “He’s not getting a fair shake.”

The former All-Star added that the team’s youth, injuries, and COVID cases have all made it tough on Saunders.

Minnesota is 3-10 to start the season, which makes them the worst team in the Western Conference. But they are indeed having to integrate a bunch of new and moving parts. Superstar center Karl-Anthony Towns is also one of multiple Wolves players to have recently tested positive for the coronavirus.

Saunders is in his third season as coach of the Wolves but now has an ugly career record of 39-80 (.328). While he still has the support of Russell, others on the team have sounded pretty irked this season.