John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Utah Jazz have several huge decisions to make this offseason. Finding a new head coach who can keep their star guard, Donovan Mitchell, happy is key.
The Utah Jazz are looking to bounce back from another playoff disappointment and will be doing so without head coach Quin Snyder, who left the team after eight seasons at the helm. Along with finding a replacement, the Jazz have to weigh the possibility of remaking their roster by trading either Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell (or both), as that pairing may have run it’s course.
On a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Show, Bleacher-Report’s Jake Fischer indicated that whether Donovan Mitchell recommits to the Utah Jazz or asks for a trade may come down to Quin Snyder’s replacement:
Around the league, people are definitely are interpreting that development as Donovan and his people laying the framework for potential request if the head coaching decision doesn’t go the way they theoretically would want it to go
The Jazz have been linked to as many as 14 head coaching candidates but they won’t all have the same appeal to Mitchell.
If the Utah Jazz want to keep Donovan Mitchell happy, these three head-coaching candidates could be the best pick
3. Jason Terry
Terry is among the most inexperienced candidates on the Jazz’s list, from a coaching perspective. Since retiring, he spent one year as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Arizona, and then a year as the head coach of the G League Grand Rapids Gold.
However, Terry played 19 NBA seasons, under coaches like Lenny Wilkens, Terry Stotts, Don Nelson, Rick Carlisle, Doc Rivers and Jason Kidd. He hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show his strategic acumen as a coach but he’s certainly had high-level experience executing a variety of offensive and defensive schemes as a player.
If the Jazz go with Terry, the rationale has to be looking for a fresh perspective and someone who can connect with players and help smooth a locker room chemistry that has reportedly been rocky the past few years.