Hardy hire paying off as Jazz embrace the new-coach trend

July 31st, 2023 | by Steve Godfrey

Hardy made believers in his first NBA season. (Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune)

As the NBA trended towards younger coaches making the plunge as first-year head coaches, the Utah Jazz followed suit last year by tapping Will Hardy as their man for the future. After his inaugural season in a five-year contract, the hire feels relevant in the NBA landscape as a whole, and also promising to fans particularly invested in the team that plays in Salt Lake City. 

Why go young? 

When the 2023-24 NBA season tips off, two new head coaches will pace the sidelines for the first time in their careers: Darko Rajakovic with the Toronto Raptors and Adrian Griffin for the Milwaukee Bucks. The year before, Hardy was part of a trio of newcomers on the sidelines, alongside Darvin Ham (Lakers) and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics). And going back one more year, 2021-2022, the NBA saw Ime Udoka (Celtics), Chris Finch (T-Wolves), Chauncey Billups (Blazers), Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Wes Unseld Jr. (Wizards) and Willie Green (Pelicans) make the jump as first-year coaches. 

That’s a considerable influx of new head coaches across various teams. By my count, 11 men joined the head coaching fraternity, meaning more than a third of the 30 NBA franchises debuted a first-timer in that span. This trend of hiring more first-year, young coaches in the NBA can be attributed to several factors that have shaped the league’s coaching landscape in recent years:

  1. Emphasis on player development. In the modern NBA, player development has become a top priority for teams. Young coaches who have a deep understanding of the game and can connect well with the players are often seen as ideal candidates to nurture and develop young talent. These coaches can relate to players on a personal level and provide guidance that resonates with the younger generation of athletes. If you look at the list of teams mentioned above, the Lakers and Bucks are the clear exemption with veteran-heavy teams. The Jazz, along with the Wizards, Magic and the Pelicans, are squads with young rosters and even more young talent likely to pass through the door soon given the draft assets in play. Therefore, player development will be key for jumping into the next tier of success.
  2. Analytics and innovation. The NBA has embraced advanced analytics and new technologies that have revolutionized the game’s strategies and tactics. Young coaches, often well-versed in these modern methodologies, could be seen as better equipped to incorporate analytics-driven decision-making into their coaching approach. Younger coaches typically bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas into the league. As the game evolves, teams look for coaches who can adapt to new trends and find innovative ways to stay competitive.
  3. Communication and relatability. Effective communication is vital in coaching. Young coaches often excel in relating to the players and understanding their perspectives, creating a strong bond and trust between coach and team. This ability to communicate and build relationships has become highly valued in NBA coaching searches. One thing I always find interesting is the former players that end up on coach benches. Billups, Green, and Ham all had lengthy careers as players in the NBA, with Billups being the most successful. Jason Kidd (Mavs), Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and Steve Kerr (Warriors) are players from my childhood who are now full-time coaches.  

Are these the right hires? It’s subjective, hard to say. Nick Nurse won a championship in his first year coaching in Toronto, as did Lue with the Cavs in 2016 and Kerr with the Warriors the year before. But for every instant success story, plenty of rookie coaches miss the playoffs altogether, especially since they’re often hired to teams in transition. Consider this: Since 2000, 43 of the 79 first-time coaching hires have tallied an overall winning percentage of .400 or better. That number isn’t awful, but it’s not making the playoffs, either. At 37-45 last season, Hardy fits right in line with this statistic, hitting a .451 winning percentage. 

It’s important to note that while the trend of hiring young coaches has become more prevalent, experience and proven track records still hold weight in coaching decisions. Many teams seek a balance between youthful energy and coaching experience, with the ultimate goal of finding the right fit to lead their teams to success in the ever-competitive NBA landscape.

Additionally, it’s essential to remember that coaching success in the NBA is a complex combination of factors, and immediate success as a first-year head coach should not be the sole measure of a coach’s abilities. Many successful NBA head coaches, including Erik Spoelstra, experienced initial struggles in their early seasons before ultimately becoming highly accomplished and respected leaders. Need a more recent example? Look what Denver just accomplished by sticking with Michael Malone after the team missed the playoffs in his first three seasons in high altitude. 

Deep benches = more chances

This surge in first-time coaches was foreshadowed by the Bleacher Report, which published an article in June 2014 detailing the rookie coach revelation. The headline: “NBA’s Trend of First-Time Coaches Is Both Promising and Problematic.”

Coincidently, the Jazz were part of the conversation back then, too; they hired Quin Snyder as a first-time NBA head coach that summer, the same year Derek Fisher (Knicks) and Kerr (Warriors) got their coaching starts. The year before, 2012-2013, 13 teams parted way with their coaches and ten would hire first-time head coaches. At that time, the article noted that the average coaching tenure was 2.4 years long. If you take out Gregg Popovich as an outlier, that number dips to 1.9 years.

A lot of factors contributed to this shift in coach hiring a decade ago, including the three key points mentioned above. But also, coaching staffs were already starting to get really deep. When Jerry Sloan led the Jazz to their second NBA Finals trip, he had five assistants, one of which was Mark McKown whose title included “Player Development.” Last year, the bench ran nine deep, with three having Player Development as their primary responsibility. When you add in those working with analytics, or technology, or health and wellness, it’s no wonder that Bleacher Report claims coaching staffs can run two rows deep. “From lead number-crunchers to shooting experts, scouts to tape junkies, coaches want—and need—more information than ever before,” they wrote. Fast forward ten years since its publication and that statement rings even more true. 

The depth on the bench gives potential coaches more ways to prepare for the future and grow their qualifications. Tomorrow’s head coach candidates can build up an extensive history on the bench in other roles that have uniquely prepared them for head coaching duties. That’s without even considering the G League roles where aspiring coaches have another handful of opportunities to build skills, get noticed and potentially rise through the ranks.

“As the talent pool gets bigger,” the Bleacher Report piece continued, “teams have more candidates to choose from. And while hierarchies no doubt exist within individual teams, sustained success by one franchise, in particular, might mean multiple assistants wind up getting a hard look.”

Hardy benefitted from the sustained success of San Antontio and later Boston, ultimately landing him a job as one of 30 NBA head coaches. 

The former Eph got his shot. (Screenshot from Williams College)

Will Hardy background

Perhaps hidden in the list, Will Hardy is a talented and promising young coach in the NBA. He is widely regarded as one of the rising stars in the coaching world despite being only 35 years old. 

While he didn’t play NBA ball, Hardy was a four-year letter winner at Williams College, earning All-NESCAC honors and serving as the team captain during his senior year. The team went 30-2 that year while Hardy primarily played small forward for the squad. Fun fact: current Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson followed Hardy at Williams College, before transferring to the University of Michigan in 2014.

After graduating from college, Hardy began his coaching journey as an intern with the Boston Celtics during the 2010-2011 season. He then joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 as a basketball operations intern. Hardy’s work ethic, basketball knowledge, and ability to connect with players quickly earned him recognition within the organization. Consequently, Hardy rose through the ranks in the Spurs’ coaching staff. He became a video coordinator and player development intern, eventually earning a spot as an assistant coach under legendary head coach Popovich, who will begin his 28th season with the Spurs.

As an assistant coach with the Spurs, Hardy was primarily responsible for player development, game planning, and in-game adjustments. He was known for his strong emphasis on individual player improvement, helping several Spurs players enhance their skills and performance on the court. While on staff in San Antonio, Hardy made the NBA Finals twice (2013 and 2014), and was part of the 2014 championship squad. He also teamed up with Pop in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and helped lead Team USA to a Gold Medal. 

It was then that Hardy switched things up, going east to join Udoka with the Boston Celtics as the lead assistant. The marriage was short-lived, with the Jazz having an opening and moving quickly to scoop up the promising head coach in waiting. After a Boston-Utah game last season, star Jayson Tatum was asked about Hardy. “I could tell that Will wasn’t gonna be here long. That he was gonna get an opportunity very, very soon. He was motivated. He was hungry, and (he) knows what he’s doing. He’s got those guys playing extremely well, so I couldn’t be happier for him. It’s somebody that I still have a relationship with to this day. We talk from time to time. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

Udoka’s tenure with Boston was also short-lived, having a personal controversy that led to his removal as head coach of the Celtics. Many believe Hardy would’ve stepped in to fill that vacancy; instead, the Celtics elevated Mazzulla, who had also been a candidate for Utah’s top job. Mazzulla is another example of the young coach trend, having helped Boston to a 57-win season and and Eastern Conference Finals appearance in his first season despite going through what have been described as growing pains.

Year one in review

It’s safe to say, the Jazz are fortunate to have hired Hardy when they did.

“Yeah, he’s 34 years old, but he didn’t feel 34 to us and we didn’t really pay much attention to that,” Danny Ainge said at last summer’s introductory press conference for Hardy. “He just seemed very mature, very prepared … many times in his answers, he spoke my language. It seemed like after the few stages we went through that Will was our guy and we couldn’t be more excited.”

The Celtics may have wished they had him still on deck when their coaching vacancy appeared. Would the Bucks have looked his way just a few months ago, too? What about the Nets or the Suns, teams with talented rosters that hope to make impacts now? We know that Utah isn’t the first choice for everyone and a rebuild may not be a more enticing situation than an immediately competitive situation. 

Rest assured, none of those hypotheticals hold relevancy anymore. To add more proof in the pudding, Hardy’s year one on the sidelines also proved the Jazz made the right call in getting their guy. 

While year one in Utah wasn’t a slam dunk, it wasn’t an airball, either. Hardy and the Jazz got off to a fast 10-3 start injuries and inconsistency hit. By midseason, the Jazz were trade deadline sellers, yet still clinging to the possibility of a play-in berth. Many predicted the Jazz to be near the bottom of the standings, so hugging .500 for most of the season was a real success. The Jazz finished 37-45 and Hardy finished ninth in Coach of the Year voting. 

Through the lens of one year, we saw Hardy’s player development reputation hit home, as Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji hit visible strides under his stewardship. His connection to other under-the-radar players, like Talen Horton-Tucker or Kris Dunn, helped revitalize the point-guard position after Mike Conley was traded to Minnesota. His work with those two specifically, and Collin Sexton, will indicate how much further the Jazz move forward in this upcoming season. 

As far as stats go, the Jazz were middle of the road in many categories, as their record would indicate, but they also began to show what Hardy will emphasize in his coaching tenure. For example, the Jazz ranked 7th in 3-point attempts per game, and 5th in 3-point makes. (Percentage-wise, they ranked just 20th overall.)

The Jazz were top third in the league when it came to assists (10) and rebounding (5), as well as seventh in the league with scoring. It’s the defensive side of the ball that Hardy and the Jazz will need to improve as no stat or ranking immediately pops out as a strength, but many do so as room for improvement; to sum it succinctly, the Jazz gave up 118 points a game, good for 24th in the league and their defensive rating marked 23rd.

Moving forward, one would imagine that Hardy will fine-tune his defensive system around anchor Kessler, as well as the body of bigs the Jazz now employ. The paint will be a tough place for opposing teams, so Hardy will need to continue to work with wings to be long, switchy, and solid on the perimeter. Regardless of point guard rotation, Hardy has quick, pesky, and energetic guards that he’ll depend on for the point of attack. Given the reliance league-wide on the three, defensive success will depend on how Hardy instructs running teams off the three-point line. It’s safe to bet the Jazz will be solid in the half-court, once Kessler is stationed, but can they be good enough in transition? 

Offensively, the Jazz liked to play with pace, something I would imagine continues this upcoming year. With the majority of players enjoying their early 20s, the Jazz should use it to their advantage and get out on the break as often as they can. Again, this effort spearheaded by the point guards will be a major test for Hardy and the team’s development. I would also imagine the Jazz will continue to line up from a distance, with more improvement based on flame-thrower Jordan Clarkson’s availability, along with the addition of his mini-me, rookie Keyonte George.

Ultimately, coaches coach, but it’s the players who shine. Hardy’s year two success will largely depend on if, and how, Lauri Markkanen and Kessler continue their ascent as stars. After really good years for each individual, do they regress or progress? Their health will be key, but also the way Hardy connects, communicates, motivates, and enhances their abilities. 

Conclusion

Hardy is the man of the future, but also the man in the present. With four years locked in, the head coach of the Utah Jazz can continue to build his version of a contending team. Peers across the league will take note, whether they are first-year coaches or envious organizations, as Hardy has many of the things an aspiring coach would hope for, like ascending superstars, talented young pieces, salary cap and draft flexibility, plus a rabid fanbase and ownership group. Lucky for Jazz fans, they have all they could hope for in a coach, too. 

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