SALT LAKE CITY, UT – DECEMBER 31: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz talks with coach Alex Jensen as they review film during warmup before their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Vivint Smart Home Arena December 31, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
3 candidates to replace Quin Snyder as Utah Jazz head coach: 3. Alex Jensen
There’s some logic going internal for the Jazz. Alex Jensen was Quin Snyder’s top assistant and could follow the successful blueprint his old boss laid out in Salt Lake City.
He is known as a player development guy and it’s hard to argue with some of the players who have come up through the Jazz system in recent years, particularly Mitchell and Gobert. There may not be many young stars on the roster, but Jensen could help develop the next one.
Jensen has extensive ties with the area, as he’s been the assistant coach with the Jazz for almost a decade, joining the franchise in 2013. He also grew up in Utah and played his college ball for Rick Majerus at Utah, helping take the Utes to the 1998 national championship game.
There is an argument to be made that Jensen might be more of the same and not enough of a new voice, but he already has a sense of how to get the most out of Utah’s talent. It’s not like the franchise is going to roll out a completely different team next season. Many of last year’s players will be back for another round.
Jensen didn’t get as much of a push this offseason as expected, but perhaps that’s related to the stale vibes surrounding Utah’s current core. That could either work to his benefit or against him if he were to get the Utah Jazz job.
If the Jazz aren’t looking to make wholesale changes for next season, Jensen could be their guy, before a rising star in the coaching ranks goes elsewhere.
Charlotte Hornets gig remains open, but Darvin Ham and Mike Brown have been snapped up by the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/los-angeles-lakers/">Los Angeles</a> Lakers and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/sacramento-kings/">Sacramento Kings, respectively.</p>
<p>Here are three candidates for the open coaching role.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Candidate #1 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_445718" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img class="wp-image-445718 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1973,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F06%2F1237486950.jpeg" alt="Qui Snyder, Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="1973" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/06/1237486950.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/06/1237486950-420x260.jpeg 420w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/06/1237486950-768x474.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">SALT LAKE CITY, UT – DECEMBER 31: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz talks with coach Alex Jensen as they review film during warmup before their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Vivint Smart Home Arena December 31, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>3 candidates to replace Quin Snyder as Utah Jazz head coach: 3. Alex Jensen</h2>
<p>There’s some logic going internal for the Jazz. Alex Jensen was Quin Snyder’s top assistant and could follow the successful blueprint his old boss laid out in Salt Lake City.</p>
<p>He is known as a player development guy and it’s hard to argue with some of the players who have come up through the Jazz system in recent years, particularly Mitchell and Gobert. There may not be many young stars on the roster, but Jensen could help develop the next one.</p>
<p>Jensen has extensive ties with the area, as he’s been the assistant coach with the Jazz for almost a decade, joining the franchise in 2013. He also grew up in Utah and played his college ball for Rick Majerus at Utah, helping take the Utes to the 1998 national championship game.</p>
<p>There is an argument to be made that Jensen might be more of the same and not enough of a new voice, but he already has a sense of how to get the most out of Utah’s talent. It’s not like the franchise is going to roll out a completely different team next season. Many of last year’s players will be back for another round.</p>
<p>Jensen didn’t get as much of a push this offseason as expected, but perhaps that’s related to the stale vibes surrounding Utah’s current core. That could either work to his benefit or against him if he were to get the Utah Jazz job.</p>
<p>If the Jazz aren’t looking to make wholesale changes for next season, Jensen could be their guy, before a rising star in the coaching ranks goes elsewhere.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Candidate #2 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_445720" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img class="wp-image-445720 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2022%2F06%2F1298378064-1.jpeg" alt="Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/06/1298378064-1.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2022/06/1298378064-1-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">PORTLAND, OREGON – JANUARY 24: Associate Head Coach Johnnie Bryant of the New York Knicks looks on in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on January 24, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>3 candidates to replace Quin Snyder as Utah Jazz head coach: 2. Johnnie Bryant</h2>
<p>Much of Johnnie Bryant’s appeal is similar to Jensen’s. Bryant is a young development coach with plenty of connections to the Jazz.</p>
<p>Bryant has spent the past couple of seasons as an associate head coach under Tom Thibodeau with the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/new-york-knicks/">New York</a> Knicks. Prior to that, however, he served as an assistant coach for the Jazz under Quin Snyder. Before that, he was a player development assistant for the franchise.</p>
<p>Going back even further, Bryant (like Jensen) played college basketball for the Utes. He’s the best three-point shooter in school history, hitting 44 percent of his attempts from beyond the perimeter, so nobody will need to teach Bryant the importance of the long ball.</p>
<p>Considering how recently Bryant was part of the franchise, he has plenty of connections with the team. By all accounts, he’s great at developing relationships and players really enjoy working with him, perhaps because he’s not much older than them.</p>
<p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://theathletic.com/1610994/2020/02/16/we-wanted-me-to-be-uncomfortable-donovan-mitchell-is-reaping-the-rewards-of-being-pushed-to-his-limits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to The Athletic</a> <strong>(subscription required)</strong>, Bryant also has a close personal relationship with Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell seems to be actively questioning his future in Utah, but he probably has more long-term value than Rudy Gobert, simply based on his youth. Bringing in Bryant would signal the Jazz’s desire to keep building around Mitchell.</p>
<p>Bryant would likely be a popular hire among both Jazz brass and the fans. He doesn’t have any head coaching experience, so that’s a minus against him, but one could quickly point to Ime Udoka coaching the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/eastern-conference/boston-celtics/">Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals during his first season as a counterargument to that point.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_407087" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img class="wp-image-407087 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1127,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1264918113.jpeg" alt="Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1127" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1264918113.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1264918113-768x541.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 09: Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers talks with Damian Lillard #0 and CJ McCollum #3 during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 09, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2>3 candidates to replace Quin Snyder as Utah Jazz head coach: 1. Terry Stotts</h2>
<p>Terry Stotts seems to be a candidate for every open coaching job this summer. He’s running out of opportunities, but the Utah job might actually be the best fit for him.</p>
<p>Stotts was a great head coach for the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/western-conference/portland-trail-blazers/">Portland Trail Blazers, but when the messaging became stale, he and the team parted ways. It was a successful run, but he never got the franchise over the hump. This would be a good chance to redeem himself by helping another franchise do so instead.</p>
<p>The veteran coach is familiar with the terrain. While he doesn’t boast the same Utah connections as others, he did coach in one of the more anonymous NBA markets, one in the same division as the Jazz. He’ll be familiar with the opponents facing the Jazz, as they haven’t changed drastically in the year Stotts has been sidelined.</p>
<p>And while his connections aren’t as strong as those of Bryant and Jensen, they aren’t nonexistent. In fact, Stotts spent some time observing the team during his time away from the coach’s chair this season.</p>
<p>Of the reported list of initial candidates, Stotts is the only one who has been a head coach in the NBA before. His experience easily trumps other possibilities, as Utah would be his fourth stop, even though Portland was the only other successful one.</p>
<p>Stotts appeared to be a finalist for the Lakers gig, which ultimately went to Darvin Ham. The fact that he was close suggests Stotts interviewed well and has the look of someone who can be a head coach once more.</p>
<p>Terry Stotts would bring experience and respectability to the role. While his background is similar to Quin Snyder’s, he could be the perfect blend of continuity and difference to carry the Utah Jazz forward.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Analyzing potential of Beal, LaVine to POR" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/06/bradley-beal-zach-lavine-portland-trail-blazers/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/08/candidates-quin-snyder-utah-jazz/2/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/06/bradley-beal-zach-lavine-portland-trail-blazers/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Analyzing potential of Beal, LaVine to POR </a> </div>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—>">
