WATCH: Everything From Quin Snyder After Hawks Win Over the Lakers
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00:00 >> Coach, I know that you don't often like to point to just one specific defensive
00:05 possession or defensive player or anything like that.
00:08 But I was curious about both Jalen and DeAndre's defense on LeBron tonight.
00:14 >> This is the first time that we've had those guys together since November.
00:19 It gives us some depth at the wing, as you said,
00:25 this league started on those three guys in combination.
00:30 Just gave us really solid minutes and did some good things on the other end too.
00:37 I was happy to see DeAndre just rise up and shoot the ball.
00:41 So we played well, it was good to have the guys back.
00:49 >> Coach, what do you think kind of led to such an even scoring night, I guess,
00:54 especially for the starters?
00:55 >> Well, we shared the ball and
01:00 guys had a good sense of where an advantage might be.
01:05 It doesn't always happen that way.
01:10 Not because you're less unselfish, but
01:14 just the game kind of unfolds that way.
01:17 We did a good job playing in flow.
01:21 I thought DJ and Trey, both of them really managed the game,
01:24 both individually and when they were in the game together.
01:28 We had possessions where Trey was calling DJ's number.
01:33 Trey had Vanderbilt on him, and DJ had an opportunity to attack.
01:38 So those guys, and as I said, I thought that our defensive effort from our wings,
01:48 DeAndre and JJ and Hunt, I'm sorry, and Sadiq, and on the glass too.
01:55 Those guys are size and that allowed us to get out and transition some.
01:58 >> And coach, kind of piggyback off that third quarter, clenching first,
02:03 saying that's first, half of you and your team come out at halftime,
02:06 starting fast and maintaining the home stage.
02:09 >> Yeah, that's been a point of emphasis for us.
02:12 It hasn't always worked out that way.
02:14 But I thought they weren't making shots in the first half.
02:19 And then as you said, they started seeing the ball go in the basket.
02:24 We made a few turnovers that got them out of transition.
02:26 But I thought our guys stayed together and really responded.
02:30 We responded by guard.
02:31 And to me, that's the thing that you have more control over,
02:37 whether you're making shots or not.
02:40 We were able to get some stops and that makes the offensive end a lot easier.
02:45 >> Coach, kind of building off of his question, but I feel like tonight,
02:49 there were no big let ups once we got the lead.
02:51 And usually when we come in here, we're talking about one or
02:53 two quarters where we had let ups.
02:55 I don't feel like we had that tonight.
02:57 So does it feel like, not necessarily this team has turned a corner, but
03:01 that we're turning a corner and having that as an emphasis more?
03:04 >> Well, I hesitate to whether it's turned or turning.
03:09 We played well, and
03:14 we need to keep playing well.
03:16 That means, as I said, we're healthy right now.
03:19 We'll be able to give us more minutes as that continues to rise as he's more and
03:27 more comfortable.
03:28 Try to integrate him, but be smart about that.
03:32 I liked what I saw in the defensive end.
03:36 I thought we were connected.
03:38 We just have to keep doing it.
03:40 It felt good.
03:40 It felt good to our players.
03:42 It felt good to me.
03:44 >> And coach, you already kind of talked about a little bit, but
03:47 having DeAndre back in the lineup, what does it give you as far as options,
03:51 defense wise, and things you can do with him?
03:54 >> Yeah, we're able to switch more.
03:55 I mean, there aren't, tonight there was a few possessions,
04:00 a few minutes where we didn't have two of those guys in.
04:04 But when we have one of them coming off the bench, whoever it is,
04:11 they can sub and give somebody else a blow.
04:14 I think they can maintain, we've had guys play in a lot of minutes.
04:17 We trust them that anytime you're up 35, 36,
04:22 37 minutes over a period of time, that's hard.
04:26 You're asking a lot of guys.
04:29 You can do that occasionally, but over the course of the season,
04:32 games every other day, back to backs.
04:34 So to have Hunt back and that, and we lost Jalen for a while.
04:40 And it's good to see those guys, they were connected.
04:46 And as you said, the defensive end, they're able to switch and help each other.
04:50 And that's a size of those guys, but it's different.
04:53 It's also different on the glass.
04:54 >> To go a little further, though, with DeAndre,
04:59 what are his strengths you see defensively?
05:01 It seems like he helps well, and he seems to know-
05:04 >> He's very, you're right.
05:07 He's got great habits.
05:09 And shifting and helping, rotating,
05:14 he has a good feel for where he needs to be.
05:17 And then he's 6'8", so whether he's defending the wing or
05:23 there's times when we have him on the ball, so
05:26 some of that versatility is really helpful.
05:28 He takes pride in it, too.
05:30 >> I know it was a very short stint, but Kobe getting his first NBA bucket,
05:36 just what did you see from him in those couple of minutes?
05:39 >> Well, he's been playing in the G League.
05:44 And I thought there's a comfort level you have when he's played a lot of minutes.
05:50 Obviously, tonight was different, he's playing the Lakers and hitting three.
05:57 You deserve the bounce, because I've watched him dive on the floor.
06:02 I've watched him pick up full court.
06:04 He's been doing the things that we need and
06:07 that he needs to do to keep improving as a player.
06:11 I think when you do those things, it takes pressure off any shot.
06:16 I don't think he thought about it, I just think he was open, he shot the ball.
06:19 And that's a credit to Ryan Schmidt and his teammates in the G League.
06:24 That opportunity to play is really, really important for a young player.
06:31 He's 19 years old, I think, maybe 20, I don't know.
06:35 >> [LAUGH] >> I hear you, coach.
06:38 >> Yeah.
06:39 >> The Lakers really struggled with three-point shooting lives early in the game,
06:44 and you guys did a great job of turning that into transition points.
06:47 And you kind of just kept it going.
06:48 How important is it to come in in a transition game,
06:51 especially with the pace you guys played with for you guys?
06:54 >> Yeah, I mean, we wanted to run tonight.
06:57 It's hard to be on back to back, which they were.
07:01 And sometimes that takes your legs, it did early.
07:03 I thought they had, when they came back there in the second half,
07:06 they started making shots.
07:08 And I think we did a good job of weathering that and
07:12 particularly taking care of the ball.
07:14 The stretch is that we had good offensive possessions,
07:17 it's a lot easier to defend.
07:18 So, and it was good to see the ball going for us.
07:21 We didn't have a very good January shoot in the ball.
07:23 I think we were 30th in the league.
07:25 So we deserve to see the ball going because we have some guys that can make shots.
07:29 >> Thanks, Coach.