Atlanta Hawks: 5 Intriguing Western Home Games in 2015-16
By John Buhler
118. Final. . 125.
The Utah Jazz had a very strong second half for first-year HC Quin Snyder in 2015. Utah became a great defensive team with Rudy Gobert‘s emergence as an elite shot blocker. This doesn’t come as a surprise due to Gobert’s natural ability as well as Snyder’s track record for getting the most out of his players.
Quin Snyder was part of the 2013-14 Atlanta Hawks coaching staff as Coach Bud’s top assistant. Snyder previously coached the Missouri Tigers, in the NBA D-League, as well as learning the ropes from guys like Larry Brown and Mike Brown as an NBA assistant.
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While I was happy for Quin to get his first gig as an NBA head coach, I knew that the Atlanta Hawks were losing a great player developer in Coach Snyder. With a young but talented roster in Salt Lake City, many feel that the Utah Jazz are a team definitely on the rise in 2015-16 as a possible playoff team in the deep Western Conference.
With players like Rudy Gobert, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, and Derrick Favors, Utah could have the energy and enthusiasm to come out of the gates running much like the 2014-15 Milwaukee Bucks did for Jason Kidd. Though Utah isn’t as marquee of a Western matchup as others entering 2015, the Atlanta Hawks’ home game against the Utah Jazz on November 15th should move the needle for fans of the NBA looking forward to two highly competitive teams trending up.
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