The Hawks introduced new coach Quin Snyder on Monday at their facility in Brookhaven. Snyder, who’s considered among the NBA’s premier coaches, assumes his role with only 21 games remaining in the regular season. He was set to make his debut Tuesday when the Hawks (31-30) host the Wizards.
After his introductory news conference, Snyder sat down with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writers Lauren Williams and Gabriel Burns for a 15-minute conversation. Snyder discussed some of his background and shared his initial thoughts on the Hawks’ personnel. The interview was edited for clarity.
Q: During the introductory press conference, you mentioned your wife, Amy, used to live in Atlanta. When was that?
A: She was old enough to remember. She lived here for I think five years, so she was in fifth grade, and then moved to Seattle. But this area of the country, I was in school right up the road (at Duke). There’s just a comfort level and a familiarity with being here that we’re excited about for our kids. It’s a really good place to have your kids. And we’ve been in good places. But this is, I think, a unique one in a lot of ways. So we’re excited about it. They’re excited about it. They’re (family) not here. They’re in Costa Rica. I kind of got pulled away, that wasn’t necessarily how we saw it all happening. But I’m glad it did.
We were in Utah for eight years, eight really good years with the Jazz. Terrific experience. Really good people. And now having another opportunity to have the same.
Q: How did (former Duke coach) Mike Krzyzewski affect your life, basketball-wise and personally (Snyder played at Duke)?
A: Well, I could give you a long answer on that one, you know? Personally, I think the two things any time at a young age, coming across the country for me (in Mercer Island, Washington). Having someone that had a very strong vision for what the team looked like, and the things that made a team special, as he would say. Those things get instilled in you. As a player, I was fortunate to be there. In the early years, we had some really good teams and won some games. One of the benefits of him being there as long as he was, and this will continue with (current Duke coach) Jon Scheyer, is that he was the link for all of us over a long period of time. There’s really a shared bond there, and it’s great that he’s at the center of that.
Q: You mentioned the importance of a coach learning from his players (during the press conference). What did you learn from (All-Stars) Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in Utah?
A: They were both really hungry to improve, and as a coach, when you see guys that are that committed, and kind of thirst to get better, it makes you try to figure out how to make that happen. And those two guys are obviously different and unique in their own ways, but they made me look like probably a better coach than I am.
Q: How do you evaluate player leadership styles, and how long does it take to learn them?
A: There’s obviously some general things that most people are aware of when they watch and see. So to really study some of that, and then you really begin to get to know people and players when you’re around them. That’s one of the things about the timing of this, although, you know, I’ve been reminded a lot that it’s challenging. I understand that. But I think there’s a tremendous upside. You don’t want to talk about the challenges, but I think you have to embrace them. And as far as that relates to guys and their development, those are some of the things that you get to see. And part of it that’s probably going to be challenging is to see things and have some ideas about, ‘hey, we can do this with him better’ and this and that, but to not necessarily have the amount of time to act on those things. But I think you’re still ahead of the game, as far as figuring some of that out even going into the summer, guys working on their own and then the team obviously next year.
Q: What excited you about this roster when you got the call from (Hawks executive) Kyle (Korver)?
A: I think there are teams that are kind of more fully developed, as far as, they’ve been together a long time. They’ve had a level of success that’s consistent over a period of time. And then there are teams that are really young. And this team, I think you have guys that are mature enough and old enough to really have a feel and an understanding of what it takes to be good in this league. And then also kind of young enough to really embrace some of the work that it’s going to take. Because it’s not easy. We’ve all got to dig in.
Q: What makes you excited about working with Trae Young and building a relationship with him?
A: I think one of the things about – and this is true of all our guys – that going through games together and competing together is one of the best ways to get to know somebody. You learn about each other. You figure things out. You go through hard times, good times. You see how Trae plays. I think his mind for the game is a real strength. I’m going to encourage him, and have already, to be instinctive, but also be mindful of how he plays.
Q: There’s a lot of other young talent on this roster, like Onyeka Okongwu, AJ Griffin, Jalen Johnson. What have you pinpointed in their games that you feel you can further develop?
A: Some of it is shorter term to how can we put them in situations to succeed? And then also longer term. You just mentioned three guys that are all different and very good in their own ways. So you can look at it in a certain way, like, what can they get better on? What are their weaknesses to work on, so to speak? And then you can also try to see their strengths and how they can take advantage of them. One of the things, frankly, that’s challenging about this team is there’s a lot of depth. You can’t play everybody. And a lot of times, that’s hard on players. There’s no way around it. So I think that’s something you have to really be willing to talk about.
Q: This roster has struggled to find an identity throughout the season. What do you hope to help them find as their identity?
A: You know, they’ve had some injuries this year, Dejounte (Murray) added to the team, other guys improving this year. You’re seeing those things all kind of meld together. It’s really a process, and there are no shortcuts there. You hope that you can have success along the way. Sometimes that helps accelerate it. Sometimes struggling helps accelerate it. But, hopefully, it’ll be success. It’ll help us get better as well. But either way, those things, whether it’s playing unselfishly, competing, those are two big ones. Those are things our guys have to bring, too. Some of the things that they’ve done recently, things like their spacing, the way we’ve attacked through the 45 (cuts) and start talking a lot of basketball stuff, leads when they get the ball or the ball doesn’t stick, you know, guys connecting with each other.
Q: There have been reports regarding how much say you’ll have in personnel decisions. How much of a say do you have, or how will your voice play a role?
A: Not that specific part of that question, but just generally speaking, I think that that’s where the idea of a partnership really, really becomes important. I love coaching, and that’s what I’m here to do. And I’m here to be a resource. (General manager) Landry (Fields) is terrific and bright and hardworking and prepared. And we all have confidence in one another. And that’s what can make this rewarding. We’re not going to get everything right, but we’re going to work it out together.
Q: How will these 21 games help inform you about who you might keep on this coaching staff?
A: I think as much as anything, I need those guys to help me, and I told (them) that today. We’re pros, and they’re good. So those are things that, you know, they’re not in the front of your mind. I think we’re all connected in that and having a chance to get to know them, that’s a great opportunity for me.
Q: Everybody has an opinion on the Young and Murray pairing. How do you see them working together?
A: We’ve said a lot about partnerships, right? That’s kind of what a backcourt is. I think them seeing themselves, I mean, they are two individual players, but them really seeing themselves as a backcourt where they can complement one another. I think there are things that we want to try to do, and how much of it you can do initially, where Trae can get off the ball, come off screens. Dejounte can play off the ball in pick and roll, and Trae can throw ahead and he can attack on a direct line drive, in transition.
Having multiple ballhandlers, it’s harder to develop that just because there are more variables. But it can be difficult to defend as well. So those are things that take time. A lot of times you’re figuring it out, the questions you’re asking about, and you may make an assumption, and you could feel like maybe that you’re not wrong, per se, but that you have to adapt and change. They have to be willing to do that. I have to do that. And you make progress on that line. I think that’s what they’re doing. I think that’s what we’re going to continue.
Q: Korver told us you’re a pick-and-roll savant. How did that come about?
A: When I first started in the league, someone told me that pick-and-roll defense gets coaches hired and fired. So as I thought about that, I was like, I probably need to look at what the offense is doing. It’s part of the reason you have different guys that can play pick and roll, and they can do it differently. But everything from the location of the screen on the court, whether it’s in the deep corner, in the middle of the floor, the personnel involved in the screen, be it Dejounte or Trae handling, or even small pick and roll with Trae screening. Things you take into account like different angles, where people are changing angles, all that stuff becomes – if you can take advantage of all those variables, it’s difficult to defend, right? And you have players that have a feel for that. Sometimes it involves, like, ‘Wow, what did he just do?’ Let me write that down. And then you go to the player and say, ‘Dejounte, did you know you did this? OK, let’s do it again.’ So that’s where players can help.
Q: There have been reports about Young not always meshing with teammates and/or coaches. Is that something you asked around about before taking this job, or do you view this as a clean slate for everybody?
A: You know, I think about all our team. This is a process for me, thinking about each guy and how they can be better and how they can complement one another. I think Trae’s excited about this challenge. I think one of the things you can see in him, he’s a winner. (Sunday) night, you know, the game-winning shot (against the Nets). And also for him, he’s as transparent as anyone about things he wants to do to be better. That’s something I hope I can provide for him and challenge him. And we can all grow together.
Q: How do you prepare for being hired then go coach two days later?
A: You know, I mentioned relying on the staff. I think it’s a mistake to try to all of a sudden do whatever I have done personally in other situations that there will be – I’m sure there will be some things that we’ll look to continue to tweak and modify, but by and large, what these guys have been doing is foundational, and I don’t want to try to do too much … because ultimately the idea is to help your players be successful. And ironically, sometimes, it’s letting them play without you telling them everything to do.
