Five Reasons the Shelvin Mack Trade is Good for the Utah Jazz
By Ryan Aston
2) Familiarity with Quin Snyder, Gordon Hayward
While Mack saw his playing time in Atlanta dwindle behind Teague and Dennis Schroder, he played a significant role for the team in 2013-14. The point guard averaged 7.5 points, just under four assists and hit on 34 percent from three-point range in just over 20 minutes per game that season.
According to Mack, Jazz coach Quin Snyder (then a Hawks assistant) played a role in that success. The 25-year-old talked about this in his first session with the Utah media following the trade—
"“(Coach) helped me out a lot, especially with the pick-and-roll. That was the year I played the most in Atlanta. He helped me with my footwork, just breaking down the game, seeing different things. The work we did before the game, that helped me out a lot.”"
It’s only been one game, but the early returns seem to indicate that the Mack-Snyder reunion could yield similar results for the Jazz. In the Portland game, Mack posted a net rating of 27.6 and an assist rate of 31.6 percent; pretty incredible for his first day in a “new” system.
Furthermore, Mack’s reunion with Gordon Hayward should help ease his transition to the Jazz and pave the way for him to flourish with his new team. The two previously teamed to lead the Butler Bulldogs to the 2010 NCAA Championship Game.
At the very least, it’s money in the karma bank for the Jazz when they’re negotiating Hayward’s next deal in the years to come.
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