Hawks name Quin Snyder head coach

On Sunday, the Hawks officially hired Quin Snyder as the team’s head coach. Snyder will take over for Nate McMillan, who was fired by Atlanta this week.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it’s a five-year deal, including the rest of this season, and Snyder is expected to coach on Tuesday against the Wizards.

The Hawks went 2-0 under interim head coach Joe Prunty, including Sunday’s 129-127 win over the Nets.

Snyder, 56, served as head coach of the Utah Jazz from the 2014-15 to 2021-22 seasons, accumulating a 372-264 record (.585) and leading the Jazz to the playoffs in six of his eight seasons. Over his final six seasons (2016-17 to 2021-22), the Jazz compiled a 294-178 record, the third-highest winning percentage (.623) in the NBA and the best in the Western Conference over that span.

He finished sixth in NBA Coach of the Year voting in 2017, second in 2018, eighth in 2019, and third in 2021. He is a four-time Western Conference Coach of the Month.

Before joining the Jazz in 2014-15, Snyder was an assistant coach with the Hawks during the 2013-14 season on head coach Mike Budenholzer’s staff and is happy to return.

“I am thrilled to go back to Atlanta as the next head coach of the Hawks,” Snyder said in a press release announcing the move. “(Hawks GM)Landry(Fields) has a tremendous reputation as an incredibly bright, high character, high-quality individual, and it was quickly evident that we share a passion and commitment to building a winning team with a strong foundation and high standards.”

Snyder began his head coaching career at the University of Missouri in 1999. In seven seasons, he led the Tigers to a 128-96 (.571) record and four NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance. Before starting with Missouri, he served as a with assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers (1992-93) and at Duke (1995-99) under Mike Krzyzewski. 

The Hawks have talent on their roster, including a potent backcourt with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, and hopefully, for them, Snyder can bring the best out of the talent in Atlanta.