San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich became the winningest head coach in league history this week, notching victory No. 1,336. He is one of the best to ever do it, winning five NBA Championships along the way of his 26-season career as head coach of the Spurs.
But, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. For Popovich, the end is likely nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career.
Now 73-years old and with the Spurs in a rebuild, as they are likely going to miss the postseason for a franchise-record extending third year in a row, it is fair to ask how much longer he may be on the sidelines for.
There isn’t anything left for Popovich to accomplish in the league, so there is a chance his retirement comes as early as this offseason. Whoever takes over as head coach of the Spurs will have some huge shoes to fill taking over for a legend such as Popovich.
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One of the most successful parts of Gregg Popovich’s coaching career is how well he has set up people for success. San Antonio has had a bunch of people being groomed to take over as head coach eventually, but they have been scooped up by other organizations and found success.
Most recently, Ime Udoka and Becky Hammon moved on, as Udoka is the head coach of the Boston Celtics and Hammon is heading to coach the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA. The Spurs have pumped out plenty of head coaching talent, as Popovich’s disciples are littered across the league.
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San Antonio would surely like to bring one of them back to be the head coach of the team, but that is easier said than done. Most are locked into their positions and would be very difficult to obtain. However, one person to keep an eye on is Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz. Marc Stein shared the news, while Bleacher Report expanded on it.
“Snyder is a logical choice to replace Popovich. He previously coached the Austin Toros, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, from 2007 to ’10 before serving as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers. He also served as an assistant under Mike Budenholzer, a Popovich disciple, with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2013-14 season before taking over as head coach of the Jazz ahead of the 2014-15 campaign.”
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Synder has found a lot of success with the Jazz, going 365-256 in the regular season. They had the best record in the NBA during the 2020-21 campaign, but their regular-season success has not translated to success in the postseason.
Utah has fallen short in the playoffs, advancing beyond the first round only three times and never getting past the second round. With a new ownership group in place and some new people in the front office, such as Danny Ainge, Snyder could be on the hot seat if the team falls flat again in the playoffs.
If he is relieved of his duties as head coach of the Utah Jazz, expect the San Antonio Spurs to aggressively pursue him. He would be a great successor for Gregg Popovich as he is from the Spurs family and already has a track record of success in the league.
