Before Will Hardy became head coach of the Utah Jazz in July 2022, he was coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. Although Boston would fall 4-2 to Steph Curry and the Warriors, that experience gave Hardy a taste of what the NBA mountain top was like.
A week after he took over as head coach, the Jazz traded All-NBA center Rudy Gobert to Minnesota in a franchise-altering deal. Utah was at it again two months later, trading All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland for a massive haul back that included Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton.
It was clear from those two moves — and a slew of others — that Utah was embarking on a new era, one with Hardy as the leading man.
Two years later, the rebuilding process is in full swing, even ahead of schedule, according to some analysts. However, despite finding an All-Star in Markkanen, being armed with a bevy of first-round picks, and appearing to nail the 2023 draft class with their trio of rookies, the Jazz have missed the postseason for the second consecutive season. While it's not a complete shock, missing out on the playoffs in back-to-back years has only fueled Hardy's desire.
"I have a deep longing for the playoffs and for being a winning team. … And when you have two years in a row where that's not what you are, it burns the fire a little bit hotter," Hardy said.
With the offseason underway, Hardy has had time to decompress and think about everything that had transpired over the previous eight months. From a slow start to a scorching run in December and January to the trade deadline and injuries derailing the promising season, it was a year full of highs, lows, and plenty of emotions in between.
"I thought the guys played really hard," Hardy said upon reflection. "I also felt that despite how the end of the season went, despite some of the noise around that, nobody made excuses, nobody complained, nobody blamed anybody else. … That's from the top down. We are all in it together. … What happens at the Delta Center is a reflection of all of us. We win together and we lose together, that's just how this has to be. I feel like I had the utmost confidence in our entire organization because even though we had some tough times at the end of the year, I didn't see any behavior internally that was alarming. We all have to do the work, we all have a part to play.
While reflection is good, it never once clouded Hardy's judgment on what the future could bring — specifically, the offseason.
"We got a lot of work to do in every way," he said. "There's always a sense of the adrenaline wearing off when the season ends and you have 48 hours or so to start to decompress and then questions become what's the first thing to address? There's obviously a lot of things we got to work on as a team, but getting the players geared up for their postseason programs is the first thing on my agenda. … Send those guys off with a clear vision of where I see them, where we see them, and give them an opportunity to have conversations with me about the things they see and feel. All so we can set ourselves up for the best summer possible."
Each player and coach will have their own designated list of things they need to work on, but Hardy's work goes beyond what takes place on the court. He's always prided himself on being labeled a "player's" coach who can connect with his guys in ways most coaches can't.
"I obviously try to spend time with them off the floor. … It's a big deal for me in the offseason," he said. "I think building a foundation of a personal relationship is really important for coaches and players because we get in these moments in the season where it's emotional for all of us. … There's fatigue, and sometimes there are conversations that are uncomfortable. There's moments that can be heated, and if you have a foundation of a personal relationship underneath all of that, then there's never a misunderstanding of whether this is personal or not."
"It allows you to coach them in a way where they know and believe that I care about them as human beings, and the part that I'm coaching them hard on is just about basketball. … The offseason is a really good time to do those things."
While Hardy knows what he wants to accomplish off the court, he's also aware of what he wants to achieve on it this summer.
"I've got a long list," Hardy said when asked what he's deep diving this offseason. "We've got to figure out a lot of things defensively, got to figure out how to use some of our smaller guards on the defensive side of the floor. Obviously late in the season we shelved the zone for a bunch of reasons, but I'm still a big believer in our zone. What's the right balance of man and zone? The offensive side of the ball, I'm always debating with myself the balance of pick-and-roll and off-ball. … I think we've walked that line pretty well. But as personnel has changed, I need to be honest with myself about who we have on the roster and try to put them in a situation to be successful."
One of the biggest challenges Hardy could face this summer is the uncertainty surrounding the roster. After CEO of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said the team will go "big game hunting" this summer and that entering training camp with "six kids under 20" isn't ideal, anything is possible for the Jazz. But just because the possibilities are endless, it won't alter the way Hardy goes about his business.
"I don't think about it like that. … I just coach who's in the locker room," Hardy said. "I'll go about it thinking about Lauri, and Keyonte, and Walker, and Taylor, Jordan, John. … I'm going about it like those are the guys on the team because they are. If things change, so will I. I think if we always worry about what might happen, especially in this business, we may never do anything because there's always the 'what ifs' you see in the offseason and the season. … That's where being flexible is a strength for our program."
Regardless of who is on the roster by the time October rolls around and the 2024-25 season tips off, Hardy knows what sort of team he wants to put on the court — particularly when it comes to returning to the Finals.
"I think the optionality of being able to do multiple things is a huge factor for me," Hardy said. "I just don't think you can throw fastballs the whole playoffs and win. … You have to be able to pivot to something else on both sides of the floor because certain matchups give you different problems. I think we are building a foundation with our players being able to switch their mindset in a game or before a game. I think their mental approach to not getting flustered by the fact that things change is ultimately going to help us be successful in the playoffs."