NBA Award Watch: Quin Snyder sets the Jazz beat

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Dec 1, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with guard Raul Neto (25) during the second half against the Miami Heat at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Miami won 111-110. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Coach of the Year: Quin Snyder

Of all the major end-of-year awards, Coach of the Year is the hardest to predict right now. Seemingly every week, another great NBA coach steals the spotlight from another deserving candidate.

Through the first week of December, Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is the guy to beat. He edges out David Fizdale at Memphis, Gregg Popovich at San Antonio, Mike D’Antoni in Houston, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luke Walton.

Snyder has Utah at 14-9 through 23 games and in the Western Conference Playoff picture as the No. 7 seed. Utah is eighth in both offensive and defensive rating. The Jazz play at a sluggish pace (30th at 91.3 possessions per game), but no team is better at opponent’s points per game (95.5) that Snyder’s Jazz.

One would think that going up-tempo would be the best course of action for an NBA team playing 41 home games a year in the Rocky Mountains. However, Snyder sets the beat for the Jazz’s tempo by making sure their dominating frontcourt makes the opposition earn its bucket on every possession.

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People have had their eyes on this Jazz team for years now, waiting for Utah to pop. This may not be the 50-win team many expected, but Utah is a sure-fire playoff team in 2017. Snyder is a huge reason for this and will be in the conversation for Coach of the Year at season’s end.

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