'He's a little less intense': How the Jazz have handled a week without Quin Snyder

SALT LAKE CITY — When asked how Alex Jensen differed from that of head coach Quin Snyder, Mike Conley couldn't help but chuckle.

"He's a little less intense," Conley said, clearly stating the obvious.

The demeanors of the two are different. You'd be hard pressed to find someone as tirelessly intense as Snyder, who entered the league's health and safety protocols last Sunday, and that person certainly isn't Jensen.

But for the longtime Jazz assistant turned acting coach, this week hasn't been about what's been different and more about what's been pretty close the same.

The meetings, the discussions, the processes of decisions have all been the same. It's just that Snyder has been on a computer screen.

Friday's decision to start Udoka Azubuike? That wasn't Jensen's sole decision; that was Snyder's and the coaching staffs.

This week's rotations? Those were all discussed by the group before games.

"Obviously, we can't have him on Zoom behind the bench, but we've been together for a lot of years and he has a lot of trust in us, and the communication within the staff is good," Jensen said. "So actually the process is the same; once the game starts, there's a lot of moving parts there, too. But those are all contingencies that we talked about when we met as well."

Due to that, Jensen sees himself more of an extension of Snyder than anything else. It's still Snyder's team, and Jensen is just trying to coach it just how he would. Or as the former University of Utah standout said following Wednesday's win, he is just trying not to screw it up too much.

"Being together with coach for so many years you kind of get used to each other and you kind of know how each other thinks or what they like," Jensen said. "Generally most of the time you have a good feel for it."

So have the players noticed a difference?

"He tends to everything a little bit quicker," Conley said of Jensen.

Conley used timeouts as an example. While Snyder often uses up the whole timeout talking and drawing up multiple options, Jensen is more straight to the point. He draws up a play, talks a little, and he's done.

"He doesn't say much, which is cool," Conley said. "For us players, it gives us even more of a platform to just be leaders, go out there and have fun and talk it out."

Trent Forrest echoed Conley's thoughts.

"I feel like Alex is a little more laid back," Forrest said. "Quin will kind of get on to you be more vocal; AJ is kind of more reserved a little bit. He really won't say much until we kind of get to timeouts and things like that."

Jensen was out for a time himself due to COVID-19, so he knows a little what Snyder has dealt with over the last week. With Snyder's personality, he can't imagine it's been easy for him to be forced to watch his team on a screen.

"I'm sure it probably drives him crazy, but he's been great," Jensen said. "I talk to him before the games and after the games and he's been very, very supportive."

Donovan Mitchell said Snyder's been quick to reach out to him after games. Mitchell revealed that moments after his 27-point performance in Utah's win over Brooklyn Friday, Snyder was mentioning the star guard's four turnovers.

"He was the first person to tell me about my turnovers," Mitchell said with a smile. "He's probably at the screen, screaming or whatever. But I think it's great to have a coach like that — that cares."

On Wednesday, Jensen walked into a locker room and was soon surrounded by players applauding and cheering after he collected his first victory. No matter the differences or the similarities, the Jazz wanted to make sure Jensen had that kind of moment.

"I'm so happy for him," Azubuike said. "You know, being out there and coaching the team and all that stuff. I'm really happy. I'm really excited for him. After the game, I gave him a hug."

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