- 1 day ago
Head coach Quin Snyder joins The Steakhouse to talk about the Hawks' dominant 13-1 stretch and the "fearless" play of Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Snyder breaks down the team's evolution, the unselfish culture, and why the Hawks are still just scratching the surface.
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00:00Sometimes we can have nice things in Atlanta, and right now we've got a nice thing on our basketball team.
00:04We were both there last night, Rusty.
00:07A Monday night where, I don't know, Memphis in town, and we're big favorites.
00:13Jalen's not playing.
00:14You said it'll be kind of a sleepy night.
00:16It was anything but that.
00:17I did not expect to walk into that last night, to be honest with you.
00:20And I don't know how the head coach feels about it, but Quinn Snyder joins us on Sports Radio 92
00:25.9 The Game.
00:26That was a hell of an atmosphere for a Monday night in the ATL, Coach.
00:29I don't know how much you think about that when you're busy coaching, but that was a great atmosphere.
00:35You know what?
00:37First of all, how are you guys doing?
00:39Great.
00:39Great to talk to you.
00:40We obviously had a good night, too.
00:41Rusty, it's Dave.
00:42Hello.
00:42Thanks for having me.
00:44I think it just goes to our fans, and it's been really fun.
00:51I know earlier in the year, we had such a strange schedule, being on the road so much.
00:57So the atmosphere like that is just fun for everybody.
01:00I know how much the players enjoy it, and you can feel it.
01:03I forget when the game starts, I'm a little bit unaware.
01:09But the way we're playing, I think people appreciate it, and I know the guys are enjoying it.
01:15Well, you weren't unaware when Nikhil Alexander-Walker had that second quarter dunk because, boy, I mean, some of your
01:24guys last night, they were feeding off it.
01:26But that was one of those moments.
01:28I know you're never going to give that look.
01:30You know, you're not high-fiving and slapping guys, but even, Coach, you had to say, now that was something
01:35else.
01:37No, you know, we'll have – it's interesting that as good as the play was, the backdrop on that is
01:45when he fell down, we had, like, everybody on the court just ran to him and pick him up, you
01:51know?
01:52Yeah.
01:52And they were all kind of celebrating together.
01:55But it's also a window into what these guys – you know, how these guys are interacting and the fact
02:02that they're so, you know, so behind each other as players and as people as well.
02:09Well, Quid Snyder with us.
02:10Hawks on a roll.
02:11I think it's 13 out of our last 14, 13-1.
02:14Let's talk for a second about mindset.
02:18Jalen Johnson not going.
02:19He's your best player.
02:21Muhammad Gay is inserted.
02:23You know, everybody in the NBA can give you a run any night, and you guys just took the game
02:28away.
02:28They're playing, particularly Nikhil, with a level of confidence.
02:32I think I heard you say at one point he's fearless.
02:34What does that mean when you have a player that's fearless like him?
02:39There are big moments where he's just not, you know, afraid to take a big shot.
02:47He's just a competitor.
02:48And just kind of in the moment in those situations where he's made big shots.
02:55And I think he's made a lot of big plays defensively, too.
02:59It's fun to see when you're playing with that level of focus.
03:03And he's doing that right now.
03:05His third quarter stake was really, really unique.
03:09Because as well as he's been shooting and scoring, he was in the lane and just looking for other people.
03:15And I think just really embraced and enjoyed that part of the game.
03:19But to be as aggressive as he is offensively and as aggressive as he is defensively, he's a rock.
03:29Did we know he could be this type of shooter?
03:31I'm sorry I didn't follow his career as much.
03:34But it's a clean stroke.
03:36It's coming off so nice.
03:38He can get it off so quickly, too.
03:41And it's just certain guys who go, you're not sure how they're making threes.
03:45That guy's not one of those guys.
03:46That's coming off clean.
03:48No, I think we had a sense.
03:50I know for myself, the time that we spent together in Utah, and he just didn't take the same shots.
03:59And I think he's honed initially in Minnesota, just repetition.
04:05He works so hard.
04:07I mean, this is a guy that over the course of the summer, and it doesn't stop during the year.
04:11I mean, two days, just constantly logging time.
04:14You almost have to get him out of the gym because you don't want him to be fatigued.
04:18But to your point, the release is so quick, and he doesn't drop the ball down.
04:27And I think one of the big things about him coming here was just knowing that we need that and
04:33want that,
04:34and he should play with a level of freedom.
04:36We're not just going to be content to have him take bad shots,
04:41but a contested shot is not a bad shot for a guy that's putting the time in like that
04:47and has that level of confidence, and I think it's just grown with his teammates, too.
04:52Quinn Snyder with us on Sports Radio 92.9, a game Hawks in the middle of a great run here
04:56as we kind of figure out where we're going to be seated here in the postseason
05:00and make a run from there.
05:03Yeah, Rusty.
05:03Coach, what have you learned about this team?
05:05I know you've got a lot of new pieces.
05:06You've had some turnover.
05:07You've had some changes this year.
05:08You're 40-32 now.
05:10You're into the season.
05:11You're going to play Detroit tomorrow night.
05:13You get on this plane.
05:14What do you know about this team?
05:16What have you learned about this group of guys,
05:18and what are you confident in right now for this run?
05:23Yeah, it's a great question.
05:24I think that to begin, we're really still learning about them.
05:28This team, as you just mentioned, just hasn't been together very long.
05:33So, in that sense, it's a good thing because I think we're still evolving
05:39and you can see this group getting better.
05:42Right now, what we know is they're a tough-minded group.
05:45I think you've seen that the way we came out the third quarter against Golden State.
05:52There's been times where these guys have just been able to stay focused collectively
05:57and particularly on the defensive end.
06:00So, I'd say competitive.
06:03They're also a really unselfish group.
06:06I mean, 37 assists last night.
06:08We're leading the league, you know, recently, and just the ball's moving even more.
06:13Like we mentioned, Stakes talking about Nikhil's shooting, and, you know,
06:17it's elite right now, but he's also passing.
06:20So, we've got an unselfish team.
06:22And I think they're a hungry group, you know.
06:25There's, you know, we're going to find out this week, as you said,
06:29because we're playing Detroit and then Boston later in the week.
06:32And those are the two best teams in the East, you know,
06:36and they're two of the best teams in the league.
06:38And not to diminish anything we've done,
06:42but I think all the guys are looking forward to finding out even more about this group.
06:47And I feel like we can keep improving.
06:50I mean, I think the ball movement is crucial.
06:52It takes advantage of our balance and breeds that unselfishness.
06:57But those would be the three things that I'd really hit on,
07:00just the group itself being close.
07:02And we've got guys that are just comfortable around each other,
07:06enjoy spending time together on and off the court,
07:08or messing around with each other, you know, joking, having fun, you know,
07:13celebrating Nikhil's career high, pouring water all over his head after the game.
07:17I had to get out of the way.
07:20And they're all, you know, CJ's got his, you know, kids in the locker room.
07:25Everybody's, you know, in the press con.
07:27There's just a familial atmosphere there.
07:30And sometimes you can say those things.
07:35It doesn't always make them true.
07:37And this is happening more organically, you know.
07:40And it's nice to see this is, this business takes you through the ringer sometimes.
07:45And when you get guys that you feel connected with and you have that sense,
07:49it can be really rewarding.
07:51And you're seeing that unselfishness on the court.
07:53I think about the starting five, and if you're looking at your team
07:58and trying to defend, the way McCollum puts constant pressure on the defense
08:05from minute one, and then you have that mix now,
08:08a guy's playing with the utmost confidence.
08:10Nikhil obviously making shots in a congruent, you know,
08:13parts of his game we hadn't seen before.
08:15And just, you know, putting pressure from minute one on how to defend the Hawks.
08:22That's what I get excited.
08:23They really don't have an answer.
08:25And then CJ always can seem to create a shot or create a moment.
08:29No, you know, Stake, it's funny too.
08:32Two things happened last night with that lineup.
08:35First of all, we chucked the ball all over the gym early.
08:38I think we had, you know, six turnovers in the first quarter.
08:40And we were defending ourselves, right?
08:43And then a little later, CJ, just like you said, stabilized us.
08:48And this time, the pressure on the rim created openings for other people.
08:53I think he had his second highest total in his career,
08:57which is a pretty healthy career and a half.
09:00And that says a lot about, you know, his leadership.
09:03I think you've seen that from Nikhil as well.
09:06Well, here's a guy that has been an elite scorer his whole career in CJ
09:10and is committed to making other guys better.
09:14And I'll throw a plug in on his defense too.
09:16You know, between JJ and CJ and, oh, in that lineup,
09:21they've got a lot to live up to when they see Dyson and Nikhil out there.
09:24And they're focused on that too.
09:26But we've been able to start the games, as you said, with some good punches.
09:31Quint Snyder with us on Sports Radio 92.9, the game.
09:34I think I know the answer, but I don't imagine you watched a lot of March Madness.
09:37Is it on in the background?
09:40I know you've got your scouts, obviously.
09:42You know, they're knee-deep, the Hawk scouts and players.
09:46But how much did you watch?
09:48You know what?
09:50I've had a hard time catching games.
09:52This year, the schedule has worked out a little bit.
09:55Coach Lang, Tony Lang, and I, I was in grad school when he was a freshman.
09:59And we've literally, I've known him since he was like 17, 18.
10:03And obviously, we've been together, you know, coaching for a long time.
10:07We got a chance to see the first-round game and watch the little Duke Sienna.
10:13And I've tried to, we've had a little window where I've flipped the channels around
10:17and still know a lot of guys in that business, but did get a chance to.
10:22Chris Carowell, the associate head coach at Duke, I recruited when I was an assistant there.
10:27So, obviously, I had as much fun just watching with Tony as everything, as anything.
10:34It's fun.
10:35The tournament's just a, it's a wonderful kind of unique event, isn't it?
10:41Oh, it's been awesome.
10:41So, let me ask you, because I think you're much more the Rick Pitino.
10:45Did you see St. John's win at the buzzer and Pitino's face after?
10:49I did catch that going the length of the floor and have known Coach Pitino for a long time.
10:55It's been fun to see that.
10:57They fouled.
10:57The problem was they burned those, they had fouls to give.
11:01They burned, I don't know if you see it, Russ.
11:02They burned like they should have waited.
11:04They left them with a 4.9.
11:05But Rick Pitino, it was just like Jay Wright when they won the national title.
11:09And I imagine you like that as well, because I've never seen you jump up and down or anything like
11:13that.
11:14But is that about respect for Bill Self and the pain that that other team, because Rick Pitino, when you
11:20close up, you would never have known that they just got to the sweet 16 at the buzzer.
11:25It's a great point.
11:26I think if you've been in this business for a while, you've been on the other side of that.
11:32And knowing what you want to do and actually getting your team to execute it, sometimes there's a gap.
11:38And you feel a sense of helplessness.
11:41It's Herb Sendak trying to call timeout, calling timeout, and the referee doesn't see him or doesn't hear him.
11:48And you feel that pain.
11:50And so celebrating in those moments for someone who's been there and done it, emotionally, you have been there.
11:59And you do feel that empathy across the way for guys on the other team.
12:05And if you're in it long enough to stake, you know a lot of these guys.
12:09You don't know all of them, especially in college, because there's more teams.
12:13But you have a feel for that.
12:15And you don't want to give it back.
12:17Yeah.
12:17But you can empathize with the challenge there, particularly when it's a season-ending game.
12:22Coach, I will give you a date.
12:24May the 3rd, 1987.
12:2614-year-old Rusty Mansell was sitting in the Omni.
12:29And I watched Joe Dumars hit a runner to beat the Hawks, 112 to 111.
12:34My heart has been hurt ever since.
12:36That was your first game?
12:37No, I've been several.
12:39But I've been around for a while.
12:41That was the one.
12:41That hurt me.
12:42Still hurt me.
12:43I'm going to tell you this.
12:44Y'all are real close for me to breaking that Reggie Theus jersey back out.
12:48And the hell of an effort last night.
12:50What an atmosphere, man.
12:51And I'm excited for y'all.
12:53Well, thanks.
12:54And I'll second that on the atmosphere.
12:56And hopefully we can, you know, get you putting that jersey back on one of these days.
13:00I'm telling you right now.
13:01But you understand, I mean, for a franchise that for 50-something years has never really
13:06been to the finals, only been to two Eastern finals.
13:10That's not a track record.
13:12That's having to bring people back to the table, right?
13:14Dude, I remember standing in line at Turtles on a Friday morning.
13:18I'm 14 years old.
13:19My dad drops me out and get in line.
13:21Yeah.
13:21And I get the tickets.
13:22It's one of the most exciting things.
13:23I mean, listen, I told Stake this morning, the city is starving for this.
13:27I feel like the Hawks have got all the momentum in the world.
13:29Excited for y'all.
13:30I told Stake last night sitting there, after he took two million pitchers with everybody
13:34in the stands, I said, listen, this is something different about this team.
13:38The effort last night, watching how young you are, how big you are, how athletic you are,
13:41so much more to give.
13:43You're going to have a great draft pick coming up as well.
13:45But, man, just excited.
13:46It was a great feeling last night to be in there.
13:49No, that's great to hear.
13:50And that's kind of how I'm feeling.
13:52You know, it's a foundation.
13:55And we'll keep laying those bricks and do have, you know, understanding of what our
14:02fans have been through over the years.
14:03And I guess the one thing that I'm trying to do and we're trying to do is just to keep
14:09focusing forward and just keep getting better.
14:10And that's the best way we can impact that.
14:15And hopefully there's some Nikhil Alexander Walker jerseys going on there to go with the
14:22Reggie Fias jerseys.
14:22Yes, sir.
14:23Yes, sir.
14:24It's coming.
14:25That Theus jersey might be a little tight on me, but I'm going to find a way to get in
14:28it.
14:29Yeah, yeah.
14:30It's been fun, Stake.
14:31You said it.
14:33This period of time is, you know, I don't think we're there yet.
14:36But, man, to be able to share that at home and no matter who we've been playing, it's
14:42just there's a real substantive vibe there.
14:47And hopefully we can keep that going when we're winning or losing.
14:50I think that's – and usually if you have that, you win more than you lose.
14:54Well, I've been here a long time.
14:56When you get this many 20-year-olds playing this well and you have a lottery pick coming
15:00up and you have cap flexibility, that is how you get back to saying, oh, yeah, everybody
15:05better pay attention.
15:06Anyway, Coach, good luck.
15:07Appreciate it.
15:08Pistons, Celtics, huge test.
15:10Go Hawks, baby.
15:11We'll talk to you hopefully next week and let's have a great week.
15:14All right, guys.
15:15Take care.
15:16Thanks, Coach.
15:16That's head coach of the Hawks, Quinn Snyder.
15:18Feeling good.
15:18Blowout win for them.
15:19When we come back –
15:20That coffee tasted a little better this morning for him.
15:22I can assure you that.
15:23To have the team come together this fast, to have Nikhil Walker become an offensive
15:28terror with Jalen, triple-double machine, and Dyson, the best defensive player.
15:32Could you imagine telling him in September, Coach, this is what you're going to be
15:34playing with in March.
15:35Yeah, you won't have Porzingis.
15:36No, or Trey.
15:37You won't have Trey.
15:38This is what you got.
15:39And, oh, by the way, you are balling.
15:40Yeah, and you've won 13 or 14.
15:42We got –
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