Whereas the 2 most up-to-date Utah Jazz The seasons have not but gone as positively as one may need hoped, but it surely’s clear that this staff has the correct voice to steer the cost to the highest with head coach Will Hardy.
No less than up till the commerce deadline, the Jazz and Hardy have constantly managed to exceed expectations of what they began the season with, and Utah’s teaching has so much to do with that. Particularly contemplating the monumental leap that All-Star Lauri Markkanen has made since arriving in Salt Lake Metropolis, this employees deserves its reward.
Hardy has lately acquired important credit score for his work with CBS Sports activities« Newest Head Coach Rankingsbreaking down the league’s finest coaches from first to thirtieth. Hardy was ranked among the many NBA’s finest, coming in seventh in a bunch referred to as “The Wunderkinds,” proper subsequent to Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder HC Mark Daigneault.
Delving into his rationale for the position, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports activities credit Hardy with constructing “extremely profitable groups from scratch” and being a future Coach of the 12 months candidate:
“The final two seasons for the Utah Jazz have been a narrative of a coach saving a GM from going beneath. He made Lauri Markkanen a star. He constructed wildly profitable rosters out of spare elements. He went 13-7 together with his beginning lineup, then Danny Ainge traded Simone Fontecchio (and several other key replacements), ending one other pleasantly stunning marketing campaign… The Jazz are prepared for each sport they play. They combine and match their gamers and discover unorthodox lineup combos that outperform their expertise. In a number of years, the Jazz shall be the place the Thunder are: loaded with expertise and draft picks and having Hardy within the Coach of the 12 months combine.”
– Sam Quinn, CBS Sports activities
The highest of the rankings is occupied by undisputed primary Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Warmth, with Nick Nurse and Rick Carlisle trailing within the high three.
Hardy is a real ceiling-breaker. We have seen it not solely within the context of a staff that has allowed the Jazz to choose up a number of additional wins every season, but additionally individually in circumstances like Lauri Markkanen, and even Collin Sexton after final season’s resurgence. Hardy significantly shines on the offensive aspect of the ball, as he led the 2022-23 roster to a top-10 unit, and final yr’s roster to a near-league common regardless of the tank being at full energy late within the season.
For Hardy, the trail to being thought-about among the many staff’s finest gamers alongside names like Spoelstra is actually attainable, however it would doubtless require some roster enhancements. The Jazz proceed to exceed expectations, however a aggressive season might want to arrive quickly for the Utah head coach to proceed to obtain reward.
Let’s examine how Hardy approaches his third yr in Salt Lake Metropolis in a season we largely anticipate shall be one other rebuilding marketing campaign.
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