Terry Stotts Among Multiple Names Linked To Jazz Coaching Vacancy

Former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin are among those considered candidates for the Jazz coaching vacancy, per Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

The Jazz are seeking a replacement for Quin Snyder, who stepped down Sunday after eight seasons on the job.

Stotts coached the Blazers for nine seasons, leading them to the playoffs in each of his final eight. He did not coach anywhere this past season, even in the role as an assistant.

Meanwhile, Griffin has been a hot candidate as an assistant for the past several years. The former NBA forward/guard has been an assistant with the Bucks, Bulls, Magic and Thunder, as well as with the Raptors under Nick Nurse since 2018.

Others listed as candidates for the Jazz vacancy by Charania and Jones: 

Suns assistant Kevin Young, Bucks assistant Charles Lee, Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant, Celtics assistant Will Hardy and Jazz assistant Alex Jensen.

Hardy and Lee have also been linked to and interviewed for several head-coaching vacancies over the past several years, and Jensen was considered a candidate for the Lakers job early in their search. (LA ultimately went with Darvin Ham, another former Bucks assistant.) Jensen also played college basketball at the University of Utah. He is said to be a favorite of the Jazz players.

At any rate, the Jazz’s coaching search is still in its early stages and will be fronted by head of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who once hired Brad Stevens with the Celtics. In Utah, Ainge’s search its in its infancy.