Quin Synder was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s Hawks staff back when the basketball program had a clear vision. You knew what those Hawks were about.
They spread the floor, shared the ball and made 3-pointers from the one man through five. Defensively, Budenholzer’s Hawks protected the paint and prevented opponents from running in transition. They played with togetherness and the player development program focused on making shooters.
Budenholzer’s successor, Lloyd Pierce, came to the Hawks with a mandate to help the team’s young players develop. He got that part right. Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter all grew their games with Pierce as coach. Pierce was dismissed because the Hawks were 14-20 after they’d moved on from tanking.
