This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

When the Jazz hired Quin Snyder two years ago, I suggested he "just might be the perfect coach for this team at this time."

The theme of that forecast became fairly accurate, even if Snyder has proven to be imperfect.

His ability to develop players and maintain a big-picture view of the team's growth rewarded Friday, when the Jazz gave him a contract extension. That news is as good for the Jazz as it is for Snyder, with the franchise securing someone who eventually will become one of the NBA's top-tier coaches.

And now, Snyder has to get better. He has to figure out how to win close games, how to make his players respond better in tough situations and how to design plays that work when it really matters.

Snyder deserves tremendous credit for improving the Jazz's defense in two seasons and holding the team together in 2015-16, when injuries could have ruined everything. More than any one player, he's the best thing the Jazz have going for them right now. I've believed from the start of his Jazz tenure that Snyder could rebuild himself into a star in the coaching profession, and he's on his way to fulfilling that potential — 10 years after things ended badly for him at the University of Missouri.

As I said in 2014, the experience he gained through a circuitous journey from Missouri to the Jazz made him a better coach than if he had gone straight from that job to this one, as some college coaches have done. He's a good teacher and communicator, and the Jazz have responded well to him. Otherwise, they would have lost a lot more games and been blown out more frequently.

There's more to do, clearly. General manager Dennis Lindsey pointed out how Snyder practices every possible late-game sequence of plays, but that's not translating to enough successful finishes. The Jazz have to do a lot better than finish with a 9-17 record in one-point games in the last minute, as happened this season.

Maybe those games inevitably will even out, over time. Maybe the Jazz will benefit from more favorable officiating, as they get older. Maybe adding a veteran player will make just enough difference.

Snyder consistently defended his players in those situations, although he usually stopped short of blaming himself. During the Jazz's exit interviews last month, he did acknowledge the close losses were "something you can't help but internalize as a coach."

That's good. He'll learn how he can improve, promising to review every one of those games. The Jazz's finishes will be subject to even more scrutiny in 2016-17 as the team tries to make the NBA playoffs for the first time in five years.

There's a lot of uncertainty about the Jazz's roster in the coming years, making Lindsey's job challenging. He's at a point where he needs to make some difficult decisions, and they had better work out. He has asked Jazz fans to be patient, and it's about time for him to deliver.

Snyder has yet to post a winning record, and he has more to prove as an NBA head coach. But his hiring is one move that Lindsey got right, and keeping him can only help the Jazz get where their fans justifiably expect them to go.

Twitter: @tribkurt