By Jordan Long
The Utah Jazz are now looking for a new Head Coach. Quin Snyder decided to walk away after 8 seasons. This was a surprising move.
Snyder had been a successful coach for the Utah Jazz. His first season was in the 2014-2015 season. They finished at 38-44. The very next year, the Jazz went 40-42 but missed the postseason again. Utah was very patient with him and it worked out. For the next 6 years, including this season, the Jazz earned a playoff spot. The furthest they went was the second round in 2021, 2018, and 2017.
This past year, the Jazz ended the regular season at 49-33, earning the 5th seed in the Western Conference. They faced the Dallas Mavericks in the first-round but were beaten in 6 games. Once the series was over, Snyder took his time to decide his future.
Snyder chose to walk away and resigned from the Utah Jazz. According to ESPN.com, Snyder said, “At the core, and what drives me every day is our players and their passion for the game, their desire to constantly work to improve and their dedication to the team and the Jazz. I strongly feel they need a new voice to continue to evolve. That’s it. No philosophical differences, no other reason. After eight years, I just feel it is time to move onward. I needed to take time to detach after the season and make sure this was the right decision.”
Snyder will most likely take the 2022-2023 season off from coaching. The only job opening besides Utah is Charlotte. Charlotte is still an NBA job but there hasn’t been a word on if Charlotte is going to consider Snyder. Snyder is better off learning from his Jazz experience. He will be in high demand next year because of his overall record. Snyder’s regular season record is great at 372-264, a winning percentage of .585. He earned a playoff spot 6 times, but he couldn’t coach the Jazz past the second-round. Teams will still want to talk to him because of his record.
The Jazz will start a coaching search. Their candidates could include Jazz assistant coach Alex Jensen, former Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts, New York Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Boston Celtics assistant Will Hardy, and Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin. Whoever the Jazz go with, will have large shoes to fill. Utah wants to keep being a winning organization with the ultimate goal of winning the NBA Championship.
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