Utah Jazz Coaching Candidate: Terry Stotts

SALT LAKE CITY – With the Utah Jazz undergoing a coaching search for the first time in eight seasons, KSL Sports is taking a deeper dive into each candidate that has been interviewed for the job.

So far the list includes multiple former NBA head coaches, assistants with ties to the Jazz already, and several other prominent names around the NBA.

In the first breakdown of the series, let’s look at longtime NBA head coach Terry Stotts.

Jazz Coaching Candidate: Terry Stotts

Terry Stotts was first reported as a candidate for the open Jazz job shortly after Quin Snyder resigned on June 5.

Both ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Stotts would be a candidate as one of the most successful coaches available on the market.

ESPN Sources: The Jazz received permission to interview several assistant coaches for head job, including Johnnie Bryant (Knicks), Will Hardy (Celtics), Charles Lee (Bucks), and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics). Jazz assistant Alex Jensen and Terry Stotts will interview too.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 7, 2022

Stotts struggled during his first head coaching stop in Atlanta where he led the Hawks to a disappointing 52-85 record over two seasons between 2002-2004.

He was then hired by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005 where his teams finished with a combined 63-83 record over a season and a half, including a playoff birth in his first year with the roster.

After being fired by the Bucks late in the 2006-07 season, Stotts joined the Dallas Mavericks coaching staff under Rick Carlise where he spent four seasons overseeing the team’s offense, including their championship-winning run in 2011.

Stotts left the Mavericks in 2012 after being hired as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers where he would lead the franchise to records of .500 or better in seven of his nine seasons with the club.

The coach was let go after a 42-30 season in 2020-21, two years after leading Portland to the conference finals with amassed a record of 402-318 (.558 W-L percentage).

Thank you, Coach Stotts ❤️ https://t.co/dLHJdAEajZ pic.twitter.com/fGzPnuyvyL

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) June 5, 2021

Stotts has a proven track record offensively and qualified for the playoffs all but one of his seasons in Portland, but made it out of the first round just three times during his tenure.

The coach was credited with developing Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge into perennial All-Stars in Portland.

Stotts Career Prior To Coaching

Prior to his time as a head coach, Stotts was a prominent scorer at Oklahoma where he averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in four seasons with the Sooners.

Stotts was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1980 NBA draft but never appeared in a regular season game.

A new @utahjazz era is set to begin.

Meet the candidates that are likely to replace Quin Snyder going forward. #TakeNote https://t.co/RezY0sKb43

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 6, 2022

After graduation, Stotts planned to pursue a profession in dentistry but opted for a nine-year playing career overseas before joining George Karl’s Albany Patroons coaching staff in the CBA.

Stotts served as an assistant under Karl with both the Seattle Supersonics and the Bucks after leaving the CBA.

The coach will turn 65 during the 2022-23 NBA season.

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