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SALT LAKE CITY — New Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder has been called many things over his career.
Now, more than anything, he is basketball’s version of a phoenix; a coach that went from an unbelievable high, having played and coached for one of college basketball’s elites, to an unfathomable low, having left Missouri with scandal and disappointment attached to his name. Then, he rose from the ashes, coaching a D-League Austin team to a championship and building his NBA credentials working under the Gregg Popovich coaching tree.
Now, Snyder gets a chance to demonstrate his rise in Salt Lake City, with a developing team that, while more stable today than a week ago, may still have one of the most fluid futures in the league. His opening press conference indicated a variety of things, but Snyder’s comments indicated three themes that will exemplify his time in Utah.
1. Snyder’s Jazz will play with a chip on its shoulder
Every figure in sports has doubters who question whether they will ever make an impact. However, Snyder’s story is unique. It’s best to look at Snyder’s career, and life, in two ways: pre-Missouri and post Missouri. Pre-Missouri, Snyder was a golden child — three degrees from Duke, led the Blue Devils to Final Four appearances and beat out John Calipari and Bill Self for the Missouri job. However, in the post-Missouri time, he was forced to put his life back together riding the buses of basketball’s minor leagues.
#UJ
Snyder is eager to prove he can run a program at the highest level and lead it to a championship as the head guy. He will get that chance in Utah. As part of that, expect Snyder to use the doubters as motivation. In that sense, he is not unlike a previously unsuccessful head coach that would become a success with the Jazz. Maybe you’ve heard of him, his name is Jerry Sloan. Yes, Sloan washed out as a head coach in Chicago. However, the experience helped shape his views on coaching and motivation. Sloan was hungry to show he could do it and Snyder, too, is hungry to show he can do it.
It may be unreasonable to expect Snyder to have a Hall of Fame career. However, it is not unreasonable to think Snyder will certainly push him and his players to success. He will use the small-market sleights to motivate players; he will create an “us-against-them” mentality in the locker room. Snyder’s players will either be successful, or he will render them useless. He has to be ruthless; this is his best shot at proving he can do it.
2. Development will be Snyder’s calling card
It’s no secret the Jazz franchise has to develop if it is going to once again become an elite team in the Western Conference. Simply, the organization’s youngest players have to develop. Snyder was likely hired because of his history of developing players in the D-League. While in Austin, he placed more of his players in the NBA than any other D-League organization.
Snyder said development is his passion.
“I love player development,” said Snyder, who was lauded by Atlanta forward DeMarre Carroll for helping him develop his jump shot. “One of the things that’s central to me with this program is having a chance to coach these young men and help them develop both as individual players, but also in the team setting. I think that’s going to be crucial for our success.”
Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey noted Snyder’s player development experience was his trump card in getting hired.
“The development issue was really central to our decision,” said Lindsey, who interacted with Snyder when both were part of the San Antonio organization. “… Our team is really young, and so to embrace (development) is key now, in going forward.”
For Jazz fans, the statements from Snyder and Lindsey should exemplify why Snyder was the organization’s choice, and why he is the best choice for the Jazz. The Jazz have to find a way to turn forward Derrick Favors into an All-Star, and it has to find a way to develop the top picks that will join the team after this year’s draft. The expectation of Snyder is Snyder will develop their abilities and that he will find ways to turn their individual talents into a machine. If he can turn Utah’s promising young talent into veteran stars that balance each other well, he will prove himself a successful NBA head coach.
3. Little things will matter
It’s not an oversimplification to say that every successful NBA coach has paid attention to the details. Whether it was Pat Riley in how his Lakers ran the fast break, or Phil Jackson in how his players executed the triangle offense, or Jerry Sloan in setting the proper screens, successful coaches have a style of play that they believe in, and they ensure that players execute in a way to ensure that style is followed. Snyder will likely be no different, as he studied under successful coaches like Gregg Popovich, Larry Brown and Mike Krzyzewski. Everything will matter to Snyder, and he mentioned that the proper style of communication is key in dealing with players.
Snyder’s comments indicate he will make sure players are committed to defending and playing fundamental basketball.
“We’d like to have a defensive identity,” he said. “I think that’s an area where we can try to take a stand. It involves habits, it involves energy, effort, focus. (Another thing) I’d like to see our team start to show and develop is an attention to detail. I think if you have attention to detail in all these situations, it just makes you better.”
Attention to detail, specifically defensively, means stopping teams from operating their system, and denying players the basketball in situations where they can be successful. An attention to detail starts with communication, which Snyder has learned from some of the game’s greatest minds, and finishes with players buying into the system.
The goal now is for Snyder to get the players to buy in as he attempts to lift his players from the ashes. He should know how, he’s already done it once in his career.
