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What awaits Atlanta Hawks new head coach Quin Snyder?

Following a brief period of uncertainty, the Hawks have a new head coach and by all accounts, he appears to be the man to take the young and talented team forward.

Update:
Following a brief period of uncertainty, the Hawks have a new head coach and by all accounts, he appears to be the man to take the young and talented team forward.
Jeffrey SwingerUSA TODAY Sports

Having seemingly done their due diligence, the Hawks have now got themselves a new head coach after firing Nate McMillan. Indeed, though many expected the process to take a longer period of time, it would appear that the franchise believes that it’s found the right man for the job.

Atlanta Hawks announce Quin Synder as new head coach

According to reports on Sunday, Quin Snyder is the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks after agreeing to a five-year deal with the franchise. To be clear, said contract includes this season which means we can expect to see Snyder on the Hawks bench as soon as Tuesday when the team faces off against the Washington Wizards. You will of course recall, that the Hawks dismissed Nate McMillan last Tuesday, and though the team indicated that it would be engaging in a thorough search for a new head coach, it seems that Snyder checked all the boxes such that the search has been rather short lived.

Where Snyder is concerned, he arrives in Atlanta having served as coach for the Jazz during the past eight seasons. Under his watch, the Jazz went to the playoffs in six of those seasons. Indeed, Snyder’s acumen has seen him place amongst the finalists for the NBA’s Coach of the Year on two occasions (2018 and 2021). Some may point to the idea that despite his solid CV, Snyder’s Jazz never went all the way, but it’s clear that his pick-and-roll offense works, as well as his intense drop-coverage defense. Indeed, it will be interesting to observe what he brings to the Hawks who are in need of a new direction.

Where are the Atlanta Hawks right now?

On one side the Hawks can’t be considered one the better teams in the league right here and now. On the other, they did reach the Eastern Conference Finals as recently as 2021, which is to say this team can play ball. Last season saw the Hawks bow out of the playoffs in the very first round of the playoffs, which in turn led to a less than ideal run this season. At 29-30 the franchise had seen enough and the decision was taken to dismiss McMillan. Since then, interim coach, Joe Prunty, has steered them to 31-30 and here we are.

What will Quin Snyder face in Atlanta?

There’s no way to sugar coat it. There’s a tough task awaiting Snyder in Atlanta. For starters, there are a number of central players who have struggled with injuries in recent seasons including Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter. There’s also a curious situation surrounding new boy, Dejounte Murray, who the Hawks gave up the family jewels to acquire. Murray can’t be extended under the current CBA, which means one of the first orders of business for Snyder and Co., will be to convince the star to stay with the team as a free agent until 2024.

This of course, brings us to Trae Young, who is without doubt one of the best point guards in the league right now. The problem for the Hawks is, that’s largely only when he has the ball in his hands. To date the former No. 5 overall pick has yet to evolve into a solid defensive player or off the ball scorer. If you’ve been tracking him and the Hawks, you will surely remember his infamous feud with McMillan in December last year. That’s not to say that Young is a problem player, but like the majority of Atlanta’s roster, he’s young and in need of guidance. As said before, it will be interesting to see what Snyder can do with his new charges and whether he can help them deliver on the promise they clearly have.