A couple of top Utah Jazz players defended Quin Snyder over the head coach’s supposed grueling 3-hour practices.
Snyder has taken some heat over his practices. Former Jazz player Trey Lyles complained last season about having to practice daily under Snyder, sometimes for three hours.
The topic came back up when former Jazz star Gordon Hayward, who is now with the Celtics, said on the “Pardon my Take” podcast that Brad Stevens doesn’t run 3-hour practices.
Gordon Hayward complaining about 3 hour practices, also known as “Christmas Day comes early for Jazz fans” (h/t @hansenjames, apologies for sharing Barstool content) https://t.co/dfd6cxVfvL
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) September 26, 2018
Though it seemed like Hayward was mostly talking about Stevens, some thought the mention had something to do with Snyder and the Jazz.
On Wednesday, Snyder defended himself, saying “we believe in working” and suggesting that their work habits have led to their players improving.
Quin Snyder on 3-hour practices: "We believe in working. I think that's why people who have played in our program have gotten better."
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) September 26, 2018
Current Jazz sharpshooter Joe Ingles talked about the practices in response to a Twitter question, calling the 3-hour thing a “myth” and saying the players enjoy working hard and improving.
It’s a myth! But the players here actually enjoying working hard & getting better! https://t.co/yEPlgrRMSg
— Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7) September 27, 2018
Donovan Mitchell, who emerged as a rookie for the Jazz last season, echoed Ingles’ thoughts.
Aka we wanna work
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) September 27, 2018
Coaches need to balance working their players too hard in practice with resting them so they are fresh for games. But it’s hard to deny that Snyder’s methods have worked. His teams seem to have overachieved the last two years, with a number of players showing great improvement.
