It’s been an offseason of change for the Utah Jazz, parting ways with their coach of eight years and trading both franchise cornerstones.
The changes have occurred under Danny Ainge who became Utah’s CEO of Basketball Operations in December 2021.
Ainge is no stranger to shaking things up, trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in 2013 as the Boston Celtics’ president of basketball operations. So it comes as no surprise that Ainge is at the head of the rebuild in Utah, especially after what he witnessed during the 2021-2022 NBA season.
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“What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn’t believe in each other,” Ainge told reporters at a news conference on Monday, according to ESPN. “Like the whole group, I think they liked each other even more than what was reported, but I’m not sure there was a belief.
“When we got to the playoffs I thought, well this is a team that has had some disappointing playoffs, so I thought maybe they’re just waiting for the playoffs. I gave them that benefit of the doubt, but it was clear the team didn’t perform well in the playoffs again.”
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In June, Snyder stepped down as head coach, saying that the team could benefit from a “new voice” after failing to reach the Western Conference Finals in Utah’s six consecutive playoff appearances.
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In July, Utah traded three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a load of draft picks. The transaction was the precursor to moving franchise star Donovan Mitchell, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in September.
“Like I believe every one of these guys went into every game believing they were going to win, don’t get me wrong on that,” Ainge said Monday. “I’m just saying when adversity hit, the resolve, you could see in a team that has a true belief in having each other’s back or one another.
“I think individually they have resolve, but I just don’t believe collectively they did. So you see a lot of players trying to do it on their own as the believe in one another wasn’t as great as teams I’ve been on and around that I’ve seen.”
Utah has been one of the more consistent NBA organizations over the past decade, winning at least 40 games in every season since 2015.
