What can we glean from Will Hardy's comments on his starting lineup for the year?
Once Walker Kessler was officially out the door for the Utah Jazz, signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in restricted free agency and leaving some first-round picks and swaps in his wake, the Jazz's starting lineup immediately became a little unclear.
After all, the Jazz have been clear that they traded for Memphis's Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline with the intention of pairing him alongside Kessler and rolling out an incredibly tall death lineup -- a lineup the league may not have been prepared to combat.
Obviously, things didn't go according to plan, and now there's a very large question mark surrounding the starting lineup, and who's going to fill in for Kessler. At first, I suspected JJJ would simply slide from the 4 to the 5 and play at the center position. It's a spot that he's played for much of his career, of course, but Memphis learned that Jackson's effectiveness is maximized when paired alongside a bigger, burlier center.
Austin Ainge's quote on what the Jazz see in their center depth was incredibly telling, mentioning Nurkic, Hayes, and Bamba, but not the former All-Star and DPOY available in their frontcourt.
Clearly, the Jazz still view JJJ as an ideal power forward, and only a center in specialized circumstances.
But there's only one man who can clear away the fog of speculation as to who will start for the Jazz at the beginning of the season: Will Hardy. When asked about his plans for the starting 5, Hardy didn't give names, but rather described what he wants in a starting-caliber player.
"I'm looking for competitors," Hardy opened. "I'm looking for people who want to win. I'm looking for people that are willing to give themselves to the group. You know, if everybody on our team can take 10% of their self and put it in the middle, we'll have the ability to have those learnings happen faster. If we have to navigate through the choppy waters of big egos, it can be harder."
But this year's team has been meticulously constructed for players who are both talented and accomplished on the court, but are willing to sacrifice their own personal interests for the betterment of the Utah Jazz at large. Hardy is confident that this year's roster is filled with players exactly like that.
"If there's one thing I am sure of today, it's the character of the guys we have on the team."
While we don't know today what to expect from the stars of the Utah Jazz, we do know that this year will be radically different from the years previous -- hopefully that's apparent both on and off the court.
