Quin Snyder is one of the best coaches in today's NBA, consistently leading the Jazz to outperform their talent. With the Atlanta Hawks' reloaded squad, Snyder can finally roll out his ideal roster construction of surrounding a dominant lead guard with shooting, length, and depth.
The Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert Jazz were unable to build a contending roster around their stars. Still, Snyder's brilliant gameplan helped the Jazz become a threat in the West, leading the team to the top regular-season record in the 2020-2021 regular season.
These teams featured an offense centered around Mitchell ball screens, with three players spacing the floor. After the dynamic lead guard created an advantage, he would either score or kick the ball to the perimeter, where the team displayed beautiful drive-and-kick ball motion to find the best shot. Despite an obvious lack of perimeter defense, Snyder's scheme maximized the value of Gobert's prowess as a rim protecter and was a top-five defense for years.
Atlanta has finally given Snyder his dream roster, with Trae Young serving as an upgraded version of a young Mitchell. Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, and Dyson Daniels are an excellent supporting cast who are more than capable of recreating the beautiful drive-and-kick Utah offense. Kristaps Porzingis is eerily similar to Gobert as a defender. Off the bench, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, and Onyeka Okongwu provide the talent and scheme fit to continue using this scheme.
Snyder will make the most of this Hawks' roster
Snyder's offense was a very typical offense of the late 2020s. Inspired by the success of James Harden and the Rockets, more teams were opting for simple offensive systems that prioritize the talent of their best offensive players. A simple ball screen with ideal spacing puts star players in a position to create advantages, collapsing the defense and creating easy looks for their team.
Trae Young is perhaps the best person in the league to run this scheme. It's no secret that he is best when dominating possession of the ball. He has elite three-level scoring off the bounce and is the best passer in the league.
This time, Snyder gets an upgrade at the center position. Porzingis's ability to stretch the floor gives Atlanta the ability to play five-out basketball and get Johnson involved as a screener. Porzingis is also an elite post-up player with guard skills, a stark contrast from Gobert.
While Porzingis is not 100% of what Gobert was as a defender, he is still elite on that end with his length, strength, and rim protection. The two bigs are both best in drop coverage supported by aggressive perimeter defense. When beaten on the perimeter, which happened frequently, the Jazz funneled opposing drivers to their towering center.
The Hawks also have a better wing rotation than the Jazz. Johnson, Risacher, and Daniels are a perfect fit for this scheme and are clearly more talented than Utah's trio of Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O'Neal, and Joe Ingles. The three players thrive as slashing threats and should be given ample opportunity to display this ability with Young's wizard-like passing.
If Snyder could lead the Jazz to the best overall record, just imagine what he can do with this Hawks team.