NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2018-19 Coach of the Year award

3. Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz

On pure coaching ability, Quin Snyder might deserve to be even higher up this list. After all, he finished second in Coach of the Year voting last season, and that was when the Utah Jazz — despite their impressive midseason turnaround — didn’t cross the 50-win threshold.

The biggest thing holding Snyder back is the conference his team plays in. The West somehow got even more dangerous this summer, and while the Jazz will feature a more experienced Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2018-19, the competition got stiffer and it’s largely the same Utah roster that will be returning.

However, if Gobert can just stay healthy after missing 26 games last year, the Jazz have a real chance to push for 50-55 wins and take over Portland’s extremely vacant spot as the third-best team in the West.

If that happens, Snyder will be as strong a candidate for COY candidate as anyone for his ability to do more with less and his institution of an absolutely stifling defense.