Hawks committed to continuity with Snyder’s return

The Hawks have gone through a few cultural shifts over the last few years. This summer, the team has doubled down on that shift with moves in the front office and coaching staff.

Last month, the Hawks extended and promoted Onsi Saleh to president of basketball operations. Then the Hawks extended coach Quin Snyder to a multiyear agreement.

“Well, really grateful to the Ressler family for the opportunity,” Snyder said Thursday. “My family has really kind of found a home in Atlanta, and to be able to stay here — both, obviously the fans, but the people in the neighborhood and at the grocery store — it’s in this profession, because it is so transient, those are things that you don’t take lightly, and that was our hope when we chose to come here.

“So to have a chance to keep doing that, and I love our players. So that’s where we spend most of our time. So to enjoy what you do, to do it with and for people that you respect, to be able to coach the guys that we have.”

Among those players are three rookies, all of whom said that Atlanta was the place they wanted to be.

“Well, first, just grateful for Onsi and his staff and the opportunity we have to have dialogue, not just about players and their skills and how they fit on the court, but I think the people that they are, and the competitiveness, the selflessness,” Snyder said.

“Those are things that really resonate, because those are the qualities that you need to have if you’re going to be a good team. So we’re excited.”

By bringing Snyder back, the Hawks have ensured some continuity, allowing them to build on what they accomplished last season. The team went 20-6 after the All-Star break.

They also went to the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs (with a team that had just two months of experience together) after bypassing the NBA Play-In Tournament for the first time in four years.

So, the Hawks’ style of play, as well as the environment they’ve cultivated, proved enticing to the three newcomers.

“Great opportunity to be here,” Kingston Flemings, the Hawks’ No. 8 draft pick, said. “I mean, Onsi and the staff just left me at eight. I was sitting there for a while, a little anxious, just waiting for my name to be called, but I kind of knew the place that I wanted to be at. This place was here, so really grateful for that. I mean, … I’m just ready to work.”

Flemings’ enthusiasm, as well as that of his fellow rookies, to join the Hawks provided some affirmation about the culture they’re building.

“To be honest, it’s something that you feel a little bit of pride (in) over the course of several years,” Snyder said. “It’s really, I think, indicative of the culture that we’re trying to build, and culture ultimately comes down to who you are and what you do.