Will Hardy is in Year 4 with the Utah Jazz. At first glance, it may seem he's not taking the team anywhere, as the Jazz have not gone anywhere and have only gotten worse with each passing year. However, anyone who's watched knows what's happened has not been on him. More than that, it's been confirmed that the Jazz have let Hardy know that this season is all about winning.
NBA Insider Jake Fischer revealed on Bleacher Report's live stream a few days ago that the Jazz have let Hardy taken off the kid gloves.
"The Jazz, by all accounts, this year with new President of Basketball Operations Austin Ainge in the mix... have kind of taken the training wheels off of Will Hardy, and they have given him, to my understanding, more of a runway to go out and try to win games," Fischer said.
The reason why Hardy hasn't been under much scrutiny is because a. he proved immediately how good he is as a coach in Year 1 when many thought the Jazz would tank from the start, and b. once the Jazz embraced the tank, there wasn't much he could do about it.
When the Jazz extended Hardy back in May, that was their ode of confidence in what he can do. While it's not like he hasn't proven a thing since taking over as head coach, the Jazz want to see some results immediately. Hardy is talented enough to do that, but as everyone knows by now, not only are the Jazz among the weaker teams in the West, but they were just dealt a crushing blow.
Walker Kessler's injury gives Hardy his biggest challenge yet
The Jazz have tasked Hardy with trying to win games this season, which should be fun to watch in real time as he mixes and matches. However, losing Kessler, who looked primed for yet another breakout season, for the season will be quite the obstacle.
Kessler was the team's best defender and one of the best difference makers on that side of the floor. They learned pretty much immediately that losing him will be far from easy to overcome. The Jazz don't have a player who can do what he does, so it's all about finding the right lineups that can mitigate his absence.
This is the perfect chance for Hardy to prove the Jazz were right to extend him. That may not necessarily mean the Jazz should aim for the playoffs, or even really the play-in, but remaining competitive without one of their most impactful players would be yet another good indication that Hardy is a keeper.