NBA Rumors: Several Top Candidates Emerge For Utah Jazz Coaching Job

Now that Quin Snyder has confirmed what a lot of people have been predicting for some time, and stepped down as Utah Jazz head coach, the talk turns to who the team will turn to next. And they aren't wasting any time in their search.

According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, there are several top candidates already surfacing:

Sources: Among initial candidates for Utah’s open head coaching job: Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen, former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2022

Two more Jazz head coaching candidates on the initial list: Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Suns assistant Kevin Young, sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba. https://t.co/arICswqY2S

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 6, 2022

The biggest name amongst the possibilities is former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. He has a 518-486 record in his 13-year career as a bench boss in the NBA. He spent 9 years in Portland, last coaching there in 2021. 

Other names include a number of assistants, including the Boston Celtics' Will Hardy, the Toronto Raptors' Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee, (both of whom have interviewed this offseason for some of the other job openings), along with New York Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Pheonix Suns assistant Kevin Young, and current Jazz assistant Alex Jensen.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, one of the prime qualifications they're looking for in their next head coach: to command buy-in and respect from the roster, including star guard Donovan Mitchell.  

The Jazz finished 49-33 this season, but were beset by troubles between their two stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, followed by another disappointing playoff flameout. 

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