Trae Young has made it clear his goal is to bring a championship to the city of Atlanta. During a magical 2021 Eastern Conference Finals run, Hawks fans thought that a Finals appearance was on the horizon. We couldn’t have been further from reality.
The club went on to hit every single speed bump possible. Organizational dysfunction rotted them to the core. Nate McMillan and Travis Schlenk lost their jobs, and the Hawks put together one of the most extraordinarily mediocre seasons of all time.
However, it seems the Hawks have come out the other side. Quin Snyder might prove to be the club’s savior because he’s already made incredible impacts. Firstly, there were tangible results. The Hawks upset the Heat in the play-in and then pushed the Celtics to a Game 6 in a series that many expected to be a sweep. Secondly, Dejounte Murray‘s contract extension is extremely team-friendly, and I believe Snyder was a driving factor in DJM’s decision to ink that deal.
Despite ownership giving me no confidence in the Hawks, Quin Snyder makes me cautiously optimistic, and it’s resonating throughout the organization.
Trae Young spoke with Draymond Green on confrontations with coaches, given Green’s ties to Steve Kerr and Golden State. The Warriors have won four titles, and Young hopes he shares a similar future with Snyder.
"I hope Quin is the guy that we win 3, 4 championships with. That's my plan."
—@TheTraeYoung talked to @Money23Green about his new head coach at the @uninterrupted Film Festival pic.twitter.com/YvxGKzrOKF
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 17, 2023
“Hopefully, Quin, for me, is my Steve Kerr,” Young said. “I hope Quin is the guy that we win 3, 4 championships with. That’s my plan.”
Snyder only has 21 games under his belt with the Hawks, going 10-11 across those regular season contests, but as stated before, his most impressive moments came during the postseason.
Trae Young finished the season averaging 26.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and a career-high 10.2 assists per game, but it came on the least efficient shooting of his career. With an offensive maestro like Snyder, Young should be able to maximize his skill set.
With a less talented Jazz roster, Snyder led Utah to six straight NBA playoff appearances, including a No. 1 overall seed one year. With the Eastern Conference sending three different clubs to the Finals in as many years, the opportunity to punch their ticket is in the realm of possibilities for the Hawks.
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Photographer: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
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