Why Jazz Made Right Decision in Extending Will Hardy

The Utah Jazz announced that they have extended head coach Will Hardy through the 2030-31 season.  Despite only being with the Jazz for three seasons, Hardy is already the 13th-longest tenured coach in the league. He’ll continue to climb that list throughout his next contract.

This move comes on the heels of the worst season in franchise history; however, that result was planned and executed from the top down. The Jazz are embarking on a full-fledged rebuild with the hopes of acquiring star talent on affordable and controllable deals.

Hardy’s coaching talent made it tough for the Jazz to get high draft picks in the first two seasons of this rebuild, though. There was a point in the 2022-23 season, Hardy’s first as a head coach, where he had the leftover pieces from a failed era, mixed with some spare parts from the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, sitting at 10-3 and near the top of the Western Conference. Despite the front office continuing to dismantle the team at the trade deadline, they finished 37-45 and just outside of the Play-In Tournament.

The following season, Hardy had his team playing as well as anyone in the league leading up to the trade deadline. Their 14-4 record from December through January was yet another example of how well Hardy can maximize the talent on his team.

With the goal of this past season focused on player development over short-term success, Hardy once again received glowing reviews from everyone around the organization. The Jazz saw improvements from the team’s young core as they learned just how hard it is to win in the NBA.

Despite the losses, it was clear throughout the season how much time and effort Hardy and his coaching staff put into each of their players.

One of the major themes from Hardy’s time with the Jazz is his relationships with others. From his players to other coaches to the front office and ownership, Hardy has done an excellent job connecting, communicating, and setting the example as the leader of the Utah Jazz.

This is no doubt one of the reasons the team wanted to invest in him, leading this franchise well beyond the current youth movement era.

Hardy’s ability to connect with his players allows him to coach them hard, but also coach them in a way that they’ll be receptive to the feedback. This sets the precedent that nobody is above constructive criticism. Holding everyone accountable will help this team as they start to trend up in this league. I expect his coaching to once again shine as soon as the team has its foundation of young players in place.

During his exit interview, Hardy shared that he was all in with the Utah Jazz. His actions have done nothing but back that claim up, and today proved that he’s going to continue being an instrumental piece in the team’s success in both the short and long term.

Locking Hardy up for the foreseeable future shows the Jazz have the same faith and trust in Hardy as he has in them. This franchise has a vision for the future built around sustained success, and they have their coach to execute that plan.