Success in Utah might be sparked by a pair of former Celtics in the coaching staff and front office respectively. They’ve made their trades and drafted well, now it’s time for the on-court play to reflect that.
Stability off the court has set the stage for a resurgence in Salt Lake City. With the steady hand of Will Hardy leading the coaching staff and a former champion as a player and executive, Danny Ainge in the front office, it was only a matter of time until things started looking up in Utah.
Fresh off a finals appearance as assistant coach in Boston in 2022, Hardy led a rebuilding Jazz team to 37 wins and received a few coach of the year votes for his troubles. Ainge orchestrated the Big Three era in Boston, and his team took home the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2008. They're quietly using their experiences to build a Boston replica in the Northwest. A tall task, but everyone has to start somewhere.
Rebuilding teams usually give their coaches the quick hook, but the Jazz must have conceded it was Hardy's job to lose so they could move up in the draft.
The team's premeditated tanking last year might have contributed to Adam Silver's overhauling of the tanking rules and the draft. Their efforts didn't land them the first overall pick, but they were a close second. They missed out on AJ Dybantsa and, after some initial predraft ruckus got their man Darryn Peterson at two.
They've worked a combination of the draft and the trade markets to significantly shorten their rebuild. Last year, they got a big fish in Jaren Jackson Jr. without giving up any core players as the Memphis Grizzlies were having a fire sale. With him and Lauri Markannen back, their frontline will have an unrivaled power-finesse combo. Markannen is entering his prime at 29 years old, and the Finnish national will relish the chance to at least be competing for the play-in as he hunts his elusive first postseason run. The already accomplished Jackson Jr. is only 26 with plenty of upside and a whole career ahead of him.
With up-and-coming superstar Keyonte George rounding out the starting lineup and lottery pick Ace Bailey transitioning to a sixth man role, could it be fair to say the Jazz are loaded? On paper, yes. Hardy will have to reward the team's faith in him and make the most of the players he's now got at hand. He can trot out a combination of lineups, offensive sets, and defensive schemes. The tanking days in Salt Lake City appear done; it's a make-or-break year for this young coach and team.
