Atlanta Hawks: 3 reasons why Quin Snyder needs to be the next head coach

Reason No. 2: He’s a proven developer of talent

The next reason is that Quin Snyder has proven to be a quality developer. Snyder helped Gordon Hayward take the next step during his second contract. He then quickly helped turn late lottery pick Donovan Mitchell into one of the top young players in the league. You also can’t ignore Rudy Gobert (a former late 1st round pick) turning into one of the best defenders in the league under Snyder.

Now, in no way am I trying to diminish the role that those three players themselves played in their own development (they’re all great talents), but I also believe the Snyder played a role in that development.

Whether Atlanta makes a run in the final few months of the season or not, development will be key for whoever the next head coach is. That’s one of the major issues that most Hawks fans had with Nate McMillan; his perceived lack of trust and minutes given to younger players. Whether that is a valid criticism or not, development is going to be crucial for the Hawks in the next few years.

Atlanta has several promising young players, such as AJ Griffin (19 years old), Onyeka Okongwu (22), and Jalen Johnson (21). That’s on top of several members of the team’s core still being in their mid-20s as well. Trae Young is still just 24, Dejounte Murray is 26, and De’Andre Hunter and John Collins are both still 25. Even with the expectation to win as soon as possible (evidenced by the acquisition of Murray this past offseason), development is going to be key for the Hawks. Especially with the salary cap starting to become an issue and the Murray trade leaving the team lacking future draft capital.

If Snyder can come in and help somebody such as Hunter take a second contract jump as Gordon Hayward did, or help one of the youngsters flourish as he did with Mitchell or Gobert, then that will be a major boost for the future of the Hawks (and something they need).