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Utah Jazz: Snyder Hits Team With Reality Check After OKC Loss

By Ryan Aston

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Oct 20, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Despite an energetic second-half effort, the Utah Jazz couldn’t overcome a lethargic start in their home game with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. In the end, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook overwhelmed the upstart Jazz and OKC secured a 113-102 victory at EnergySolutions Arena.

While Durant and Westbrook thrilled in true superstar fashion, combining for 50 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists, the night’s greatest fireworks may have come from Jazz coach Quin Snyder in the post-game presser.

When asked about a struggling Rudy Gobert, who looks to be feeling the effects of spending his summer battling for EuroBasket glory, Snyder proceeded to hit his team, the media and Jazz Nation with a dose of grim reality. It wasn’t as bombastic as his “WAKE UP!” moment, but a powerful statement was made nonetheless.

Snyder’s simple declaration: we haven’t done anything yet. Brace yourself, Jazz fans–

"“The thing about our team is we’ve got some good players and we’ve got an opportunity to be a good team. But it’s not like anybody or our team has done anything. We’ve played well at times. Our individual players have played well at times. But you’re looking at Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and guys that have a level that no one–we haven’t touched that. So for us, it’s, hey, look at what that is and what those guys are doing and how hard they practice. You see them before the game? How hard they went? Those are hungry guys that are All-Stars.”"

I’ll be the first to admit that I am bullish on the young Jazz. In my estimation, it’s entirely possible that the core of the team is better than anyone suspected; a group that features multiple potential All-Stars. However, none of our young guns have cemented themselves as such and, in the NBA, nothing is a given.

The team’s 19-10 finish after last year’s All-Star Break was an amazing stretch for the development of the team and offered reason to be excited for the future. However, Coach Snyder made sure to point out that some of that success came under favorable circumstances–

"“We were a good team for about two months and we were a good team when other teams sometimes were resting a player. The competition that we played was always formidable in the league, but we weren’t playing teams that were playing for the playoffs very often. I’m not dampening any enthusiasm, but I am being realistic about who our group is–and that’s what our group needs. We need to be realistic about the level that’s out there and, if we want to reach it, it’s a hard road.”"

It may seem like the second-year coach is raining on our parade or looking to derail the Jazz hype train, but the reality of the situation is that there is work left to do. A lot of it.

The Jazz will continue to have stretches of defensive dominance and nights where everything clicks in, but games like Tuesday’s loss to the Thunder will always be lurking around the corner. Such is the life of a young team trying to make their way in the league.

Despite the strides that were made and the steps that were taken by individual players last year, the fact remains that the Jazz were a 38-win team last year. As Snyder stated, the opportunity is there for the Jazz to be a good team, but the players and coaching staff must continue to fight if they hope to capture more victories this season.

Personally, I like their chances. So too does Snyder, who softened the blow of his reality check with this statement–

"“It’s not being down on our team, either. It’s a realistic–hey, I love our team. Like, we didn’t make a change. We got Alec back. We re-signed Book. We’ve got the same team we had last year. If we didn’t feel that way about our team, we wouldn’t do that.”"

How the players respond to Snyder’s comments in the team’s final preseason contest with the Denver Nuggets could say a lot about the character of this group. In the meantime, I think it’s safe to say they’ve been given plenty to think about.

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