Utah Jazz: What To Do About Quin Snyder?

The Utah Jazz have lost seven out of their last eight games and it’s time people stopped putting the blame on their players and started pointing fingers at their head coach Quin Snyder.

However, if you’re not under the same belief system, then you realize this year Utah significantly underachieved and took a huge step back.

This year, Utah had high hopes of making the playoffs but with 18 games left in the season, a three-game lead by the Houston Rockets for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, and a disappointing 29-35 record make it safe to say that this team should start preparing for the NBA Draft.

More from Utah Jazz

It’s embarrassing that this team has lost seven out of their last eight games in true losing fashion. Utah’s been out of sync offensively, they’ve been chucking up shots and they haven’t played with the same type of hunger we’ve been used to seeing. We won’t outright say that this organization should tank the rest of their remaining games, but they should make an effort to make sure all of their best players don’t touch the floor in order to get better draft position.

Nevertheless, with all of the talent on this team, there should have been only be a smooth sailing into the playoffs. Instead, Utah in the most important part of the season, the final stretch, lost crucial games to the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and most recently the Golden State Warriors. Losing to Golden State is one thing, but being blown out by 20 points and having to watch Anderson Varejao make reverse layups for buckets is completely inexcusable.

With that being said, Utah had been desperately trying to change the fortune of their team for the last two seasons through the draft and at the trade deadline. Is it finally time for management to realize the problem isn’t the players? Could Quin Snyder be the real reason this team isn’t succeeding?

Feb 19, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with forward Gordon Hayward (20) during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 111-93. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

The Coaching Decisions

24.1

That is the average age of every player on the Jazz roster. This team is tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the youngest roster in the NBA and yet they are the slowest team in the league when it comes to pace.

Being dead last isn’t just a new concept because this same roster was ranked dead last as well as last season. So offensively, you could say that this team didn’t get better. For a team who finished with a 38-44 record, their offense should’ve been the biggest priority going into the new year.

Additionally, getting Shelvin Mack was a blessing for this roster. Throwing him into the starting lineup and messing up the chemistry of the team, however, was a curse. Since Mack’s been in the starting lineup for Utah, they’ve had a 3-9 record.

One of the decisions that Snyder made this season that many people didn’t understand was that Utah needs to play faster but yet their fastest point guard continues to vanish on the bench. Trey Burke this season enjoys getting up the court and playing fast. This season Burke has averaged career highs in shooting percentage and career-lows in turnovers, yet he only averages 22.6 minutes a night.

In spite of having his best season as a professional, he’s only seeing the floor 22.6 minutes a night. Furthermore, in the last two months, Burke has averaged 17.1 minutes a night, including six games where he was a healthy scratch.

More from Hoops Habit

You can give excuses like their starting point guard Dante Exum wasn’t able to play, but be honest, someone who averaged four points a game in his rookie season wouldn’t have made a difference. Utah’s defense is still good, so Exum wasn’t the true X-factor or catalyst for their defensive success.

You could even say the injuries played a major part in their season, but you also need to realize Utah’s team is healthy for the most part in the last stretch of the season and they’re still underachieving.

Utah’s been looking for two years to find the answer for this team to get to the next level and it might not Quin Snyder’s job to take them there. Snyder stepped in for Ty Corbin and did a masterful job in his first season but if Utah ends up again falling short of expectations, what’s the purpose of having him around?

More hoops habit: NBA: 20 Players Turning Their Seasons Around

If your team is waiting for Alec Burks to come back from a fractured left fibula in order to make the playoffs, then you’re in big trouble.

Home/Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz: What Is There To Do About Quin Snyder?

By DJoumbarey A. Moreau | Mar 11, 2016

The Utah Jazz have lost seven out of their last eight games and it’s time people stopped putting the blame on their players and started pointing fingers at their head coach Quin Snyder.

The Coaching Decisions

More from Hoops Habit