Will Hardy Sounds Off on Utah Jazz's Timeline to Reach Playoffs

The 2025 NBA Playoffs are in full swing with the second round of the action now underway, where we've already seen countless games so far across recent weeks of narrow finishes, high competition, and overall, an entertaining batch of postseason contests to watch unfold.

However, for the Utah Jazz, it's another year without getting a taste of the bright lights in the playoffs. Their 17-win finish kept them out of the postseason for the third year in a row, and while the rebuild has started off to a strong pace with a nice bit of appealing pieces in the fold, it's still a group multiple steps away from shooting their way up the standings into that playoff competition.

But exactly how far away could the Jazz really be from making that lift to a contending level team?

For third-year Jazz head coach Will Hardy, that's a question with multiple layers attached.

When asked about where he sees his group in terms of rising to the playoff scene, Hardy didn't quite say the Jazz were ready to go as a top postseason competitor, but still sees a ton of upside for what's to come.

"I think our young players are on the right path of growing toward being ready for those," Hardy said. "The reality is, this season, we weren't ready for that level. Some of that is outside of their control, because there is an element of some experience, but also some physical maturity, and some of those things that stand out."

For Hardy, while the physical aspect and experience do play a vital role in a team's ability to take that next step to postseason ball, one factor in the mix truly rises up to be perhaps the most important: mental toughness.

"But, the part that I'm most excited about is that, ultimately, in my experience in the playoffs, and continuing to watch it all unfold- your mental toughness and your mindset is the most important thing to get through the playoffs, because there are big emotional swings, you're physically exhausted, and you're getting tested every single night, and I think our group is building that resilience, and continuing to improve and build on our mindset every single day, because that's what it's going to take."

"Physical things are easier to measure; how strong you are, how high you can jump, how many shots you make out of a certain number. Like, those things are easy to measure. Your mindset is hard to measure, so that's the thing we have to monitor as a group as we keep going."

It's far from an overnight process for the Jazz to make that aspired leap into being among the top competitors in the Western Conference, both physically and mentally, but Hardy clearly sees a road for his squad of young players to get there in due time.