Quinn Snyder guided the Utah Jazz to six consecutive playoff appearances, was an NBA Coach of the Year finalist last season and won nearly 60% of his games with the franchise.
And he decided that was enough.
Snyder resigned as coach of the Jazz on Sunday, ending an eight-year run of regular season success, but the team failed to progress past the second round of the playoffs during his tenure.
Snyder released a statement via the team, part of it simply saying “it’s time.”
“Primarily, and what inspires me every day, is our players and their passion for the game, their willingness to work towards continual improvement, and their dedication to the team and jazz,” Snyder said. “I feel strongly that they need a new voice to grow. That’s it. No philosophical differences, no other reason. Eight years later, I think it’s time to move on. Season me.” There was a need to take the time to part ways after and make sure it was the right decision.”
He went 372–264 with the Jazz, his win percentage of .585, which ranks him as the 18th best among NBA coaches who have served for at least that long. He is one of only two coaches to have a winning record with the Jazz, the other being Jerry Sloan.
His decision means the Jazz will have their fourth coach in a span of 33 years when the next season begins. Sloan was followed by Tyrone Corbin, followed by Snyder.
“Quinn Snyder has embodied jazz basketball for the past eight years,” said Jazz owner Ryan Smith. “The tireless work ethic and attention to detail Quinn displayed each day is a testament to the professional she is. I have nothing but admiration for Quinn and I respect her decision.” “
Snyder was Coach of the Month four times, the most recent of those awards coming out last February. The Jazz had the best record in the NBA in the 2020-21 season, but could not progress past the Western Conference semifinals – part of a run where the team dropped five of their last six playoff series.
And this season just collapsed: Utah saw its share of a title contender for a few seasons, starting 7-1 and standing at 26-9 when the calendar flipped to 2022. It all changed somewhere; The Jazz had three separate streaks of losses of at least four games, and were only going 25–28 in games played after January 1.
The success of the regular season’s first-round outs in Utah continued the troublesome trend, never translating to the playoffs. The Jazz were 21–30 in the later games of the season under Snyder, losing three times in the first round and in the second round in their other three playoff appearances during his tenure.
With the current coaching opening, Utah has become the second team in the league, the other team being Charlotte. And that leaves Snyder’s immediate future unclear.
They were mentioned as potential candidates for certain jobs—the Los Angeles Lakers, for example, a position that went to longtime assistant Darwin Hamm. Snyder is also considered a likely future candidate for a job that hasn’t been open for more than a quarter century, the one in San Antonio held by NBA leader Greg Popovich.
“I loved my time with Quinn,” said jazz center Rudy Gobert when this season ended. “There’s always going to be a lot of things to talk about, especially when you have a disappointing ending like we’ve had this season.”
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell offered even more praise for Snyder.
“Love Quinn. I love Quinn. Love Quinn,” Michelle said after Utah’s first-round exit. believed on He’s a guy I think he talks about a lot and he’s stubborn, he’s been steady with it all year. ,
A coaching change could be the first step in the off-season of big change for the Jazz.
Gobert is owed $85 million over the next two years, as well as a $46.6 million player option for the 2025–26 season. Mitchell is owed $67.5 million for the next two seasons, followed by a $37 million player option. Their relationship has been strained at times, at least at the start of the pandemic, when Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 and Mitchell tested positive a day later. And speculation has swirled about whether a dynamic scorer like Mitchell and a leading defender like Gobert could be the sort of 1-2 punchers who lead a championship team.
Both will be interested if the Jazz chooses to make them available on the trading market – and it is not out of the realm of possibility that either player may even ask for a move.
“There are things that could change,” Mitchell admitted as the season ended. “I’m not ready to discuss that with you right now, to be honest. Mentally, I’m not in that headspace to be completely honest with you. I really am not. To me, it sucks.” Is. “
The first change has come. Snyder is gone.
“Thanks to our always supportive and passionate fans,” Snyder said. “We only want the best for you and want to see you raise the championship banner.”
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