Sheffield Sharks Finch started his head coaching career in
England, with the
Sheffield Sharks of the
British Basketball League, the same team he had played on during his pro career. He led them to several titles, making the franchise the most successful in league history. After winning the regular season title with Sheffield in the
1998–99 season, he was named the
BBL Coach of the Year.
Dexia Mons-Hainaut In 2007, Finch moved to Euphony Bree's Belgian Basketball League rival,
Dexia Mons-Hainaut, bringing several players with him and his assistant coach
Johan Roijakkers. With Finch in charge, Dexia Mons-Hainaut reached the final of the
EuroChallenge 2007–08, where it lost to
BK Barons Riga by one point.
Rio Grande Valley Vipers In 2009, Finch became the head coach of the
Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the
NBA D-League. Under Finch, the Vipers went 34–16, finishing first in the Western Conference, and earned the franchise's first playoff berth. In the playoffs, the Vipers beat both
Reno and
Austin in three games, and swept
Tulsa in the finals to earn the franchise's
first championship. Finch was named the
D-League Coach of Year.
Houston Rockets On July 14, 2011, the
Houston Rockets hired Finch as an assistant coach. After
Kevin McHale was fired in 2015 and
J. B. Bickerstaff replaced him on an interim basis, Finch was named associate head coach.
Denver Nuggets On September 14, 2016, the
Denver Nuggets hired Finch as an assistant coach alongside
Michael Malone.
New Orleans Pelicans On June 6, 2017, the
New Orleans Pelicans hired Finch as an assistant coach alongside
Alvin Gentry. On November 16, 2020, Finch was not retained by the Pelicans.
Toronto Raptors On December 4, 2020, Finch was officially announced as a new member of the coaching staff for the
Toronto Raptors, where he served as assistant coach to
Nick Nurse, who had served under him at the
2012 Summer Olympics.
Minnesota Timberwolves On February 22, 2021, the
Minnesota Timberwolves named Finch the team's new head coach. In his first full season, he led the Timberwolves to a 46–36 finish and their first playoff berth since 2018. He received four 3rd-place votes for
2021–22 NBA Coach of the Year. On April 11, 2022, he signed a multi-year extension. On February 4, 2024, he was named the head coach of the
Western Conference at the
2024 NBA All-Star Game. On April 21, 2024, Finch was named a top three finalist for NBA Coach of the Year. With 1:41 remaining in Game 4 of the Timberwolves' 2024
first-round series victory over the
Phoenix Suns, Finch suffered a
patellar tendon rupture after Timberwolves guard
Mike Conley Jr. collided with him. Conley was fouled and forced into Finch by Phoenix Suns guard
Devin Booker. Assistant coach
Micah Nori took over as interim head coach for the remainder of the game. Finch then led the Timberwolves to the largest Game 7 comeback in NBA history, overcoming a 20-point deficit to beat the reigning champion
Denver Nuggets. They went on to fall to the
Dallas Mavericks 4 to 1 in the Western Conference Finals. On June 24, 2024, he signed a multi-year extension. ==Head coaching record==