Basketball: “A very good choice”: Sefolosha praises the new coach of Capela

The NBA regular season ends in a little over a month, but it looks like Atlanta is about to start it. This Monday, the Georgia franchise announced the arrival on its bench of Quin Snyder, a few days after indicating the door to Nate McMillan. The latter, inducted in March 2021, paid the price for a sporting situation below expectations.

Since the promising spring 2021 play-off campaign (defeat in the Conference final against future champion Milwaukee), Clint Capela’s team has had a string of disappointments: 9th in the East before being dismissed in the first round of play-off, last year, she is currently in 8th place. Far from the ambitions displayed this summer, boosted by the recruitment of point guard / rear Dejounte Murray, All-Star in 2022, supposed to be a luxury right arm to superstar Trae Young. “A change was necessary, observes Thabo Sefolosha. I had Clint on the phone recently, he confirmed to me that the management of McMillan went less well. The reports were scrambled with part of the group.

The “Swiss Knife” takes a close look at Quin Snyder’s arrival with the Hawks. Because this movement involves his compatriot as well as a franchise in which he evolved for three years (2014-2017) and that he knows Snyder personally for having played under his orders in Utah, between 2017 and 2019. a very good choice”, he comments. The winger, who returned to competition with Vevey at the end of January, is full of praise for his former coach: “Of all those I met, he is the most complete with Mike Budenholzer (editor’s note: his trainer in Atlanta).»

A technician whose Snyder was also the assistant, during the 2013/2014 season, before taking charge of the Utah Jazz. It is therefore not surprising to find similarities. “Budenholzer claims to be from the Spurs school (editor’s note: he was assistant to Gregg Popovich in San Antonio from 1996 to 2013), develops Sefolosha. Its teams practice basketball geared towards the collective rather than individualities, with a lot of movement and a maximum of players involved in each action. Quin Snyder came from the same mould.”

The first Swiss in history to have walked the NBA floors praises his tactical as well as human qualities: “He is excellent in analysis. He constantly thinks about the game, lives for basketball, is 300% invested in what he does. And at the same time he is attached to people, forges very good relations with the players. He is an open person, very interesting, with whom we can discuss many subjects.

The method has proven itself, at least in the regular season. Under his thumb, Utah went from a bottom-ranking roster to a title contender. Its limit lies in its play-off record: in eight years, the Jazz have never gone further than a Conference semi-final. The latest failure – elimination in the first round by Dallas ten months ago – caused an explosion in the workforce and the dismissal of the American coach. But this watery end should not make us forget that Snyder has restored the brilliance of the Salt Lake City franchise, thanks to good results and an exciting game carried by leaders Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

Incidentally, the progression of the French pivot – voted best defender in the league three times – offers exciting prospects for Clint Capela. “I think Quin will rely heavily on him defensively, assumes Thabo Sefolosha. He will give him the same responsibilities as Gobert in Utah.

First glimpse on the night of this Tuesday to Wednesday, against Washington.