Before Hassan Whiteside elected to join the Utah Jazz during free agency this past summer, he wasn't entirely sure what he was getting into.
On the one hand, he'd always wanted to play for head coach Quin Snyder, widely regarded as one of the world's best basketball minds and renowned for his offensive and defensive schemes.
On the other hand, there was legitimate concern about how Whiteside's free-spirited and goofy personality would coincide with Snyder's intense and hyper-focused coaching.
Whiteside got his answer following the first phone call with his soon-to-be new head coach — and couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You don't gotta call me coach, you can call me Q," Whiteside said with a laugh. "He's nothing like I thought he was. I thought he was gonna be like a super-strict angry guy. … I was like, who is this guy? I like this guy! I might go here. He's a smooth-talking guy."
While that story is just a tiny piece of the puzzle that has allowed Snyder to thrive as a head coach in the NBA since taking over the Utah job in 2014, it's a piece that is as significant as any other when you view it through a broader sense.
Snyder has this unique ability to be both fierce and compassionate, expect perfection yet forgive mistakes. He understands the entire season is a process for what Utah hopes will be the ultimate goal — and without ever getting too high or too low, Snyder has been the steadying force through what's been a unique and challenging season for the Jazz.
After Utah struggled through its worst month ever since Snyder took over eight years ago by going 4-12 in January, many national media pundits looked at this season as a lost one for the Jazz. But unflappable, Snyder remained calm and knew exactly what buttons to push and how Utah would respond.
Utah rallied from that disastrous January to completely dominate the month of February. The Jazz went 8-1, including victories over Denver, Brooklyn, Golden State, Dallas, and Phoenix.
Because of the turnaround and looking like legitimate title contenders, Snyder has been named the Western Conference Coach of the Month.
This is the fourth time in Snyder's career that he has won Coach of the Month honors, most recently named in January and February of the 2021 season. He is the third coach in Jazz history to win the award multiple times, joining Frank Lyden (twice) and Jerry Sloan (team record 10 times).
During that time, Utah had the league's best offensive rating while finishing second in net rating and third in defensive rating.
Currently in fourth place in the Western Conference standings at 39-22, the Jazz will look to continue their winning ways when they wrap up their five-game road trip with games at New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Dallas.