Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell had a heartfelt message for Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder, the Athletic Cavs staff writer Kelsey Russo wrote in a Wednesday article.
“I owe him a lot,” Donovan Mitchell said. “I’m forever grateful of Quin Snyder. He’s a hell of a coach and is going to have a lot of success here in Atlanta.
“He’s a guy that literally gave me the ball and trusted in me, in a 20-year-old, 21-year-old who didn’t prove anything yet, just went out there and tried to continue to climb. When you have someone like that who trusts you, I’m forever grateful. And he really helped me get to be the player that I am today.”
Donovan Mitchell, who played for the Utah Jazz when Snyder was the team’s head coach, embraced his former coach following a 120-118 win by the Hawks in the State Farm Center. The Cavs guard ended the night with 44 points, marking his 10th game with 40 points or more in the 2022-23 season, according to Basketball Reference.
Quin Snyder spent eight years with the Jazz after one year as the head assistant coach of the Hawks. He resigned as Utah’s head coach in June after 651 games as a head coach, gaining a record of 379-272 and a playoff record of 21-30.
The Hawks reached a deal with the former Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers assistant in late February, four days after they fired head coach Nate McMillan.
“I am thrilled to go back to Atlanta as the next head coach of the Hawks,” Quin Snyder said in a statement, via Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com. “Landry has a tremendous reputation as an incredibly bright, high character, high-quality individual and it was quickly evident that we share a passion and commitment to building a winning team with a strong foundation and high standards.