Hawks open up preseason, Quin Snyder a favorite to win COY
The Hawks opened their preseason slate on Monday with a 122–113 loss to the Houston Rockets. Every player on the roster saw the floor, with no one logging more than 21 minutes. The team’s leading scorer came from the bench, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker poured in 13 points in just 11 minutes in his Hawks debut. […] The post Hawks open up preseason, Quin Snyder a favorite to win COY appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
The Hawks opened their preseason slate on Monday with a 122–113 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Every player on the roster saw the floor, with no one logging more than 21 minutes. The team’s leading scorer came from the bench, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker poured in 13 points in just 11 minutes in his Hawks debut. Onyeka Okongwu also chipped in 11 points off the bench, while Jalen Johnson led the starters with 11 of his own.
The Hawks appear poised to make a legitimate run at the Eastern Conference crown this season. This might be the best roster ever assembled around Trae Young — not just in terms of talent, but fit as well. First-year general manager Onsi Saleh has surrounded him with size, shooting, and defense, elements that should accentuate Young’s strengths while helping to mask his biggest deficiency.
If everything comes together the way the organization hopes, Atlanta should be in line for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, which would guarantee home-court advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs. Several players could be in the mix for end-of-season awards, and so could head coach Quin Snyder.
According to DraftKings, Snyder has the second-best odds to win the NBA Coach of the Year award at +800, trailing only the Orlando Magic’s head man, Jamahl Mosley, who sits at +600.
NBA Coach of the Year Odds
- Jamahl Mosley — +600
- Quin Snyder — +800
- Ime Udoka — +1300
- J.B. Bickerstaff — +1400
- Mike Brown — +1800
- David Adelman — +2000
- Mitch Johnson — +2000
- Darko Rajakovic — +2500
- Tyronn Lue — +3000
- JJ Redick — +3000
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That’s a noticeable gap between Mosley and Snyder compared to the rest of the field, a clear reflection of what oddsmakers think of the Hawks’ potential. Everything is in place for this to be one of the most exciting seasons in franchise history.
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Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire
The post Hawks open up preseason, Quin Snyder a favorite to win COY appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
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