The Utah Jazz made a few tweaks to their rotation and they seemingly have new life. The Utah Jazz made the move to bench Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George and start Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn; moves that have improved the squad to great effect.
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy sees how this has helped things, telling the media that the team is different. So different that the team's recent road trip impressed the coach. A coach, who, by the way, has been very hard on his team this season.
So when asked about how the team is after their recent road trip, Hardy told the media (via The Salt Lake Tribune);
“...a different presence about us.”
Hardy then spoke about the team's hard work, something that has been addressed in the media a time or two. Hardy spoke about that preparation and desire to win, saying;
“I see a team that every day is preparing to win. The way they carry themselves at practice and shoot around. The way they prepare for these games. The way they walk onto the floor. They really do think they can win every night.”
Despite the team's struggles, they've come on strong recently and are now 13-19, with Hardy happy with how the team has turned things around.
“We’ve been playing much better basketball the last three weeks than the beginning of the season,” Hardy said. “I do think our team is trending in the right direction.”
What comes next though will be a huge challenge for Hardy and the Jazz. The team has to face six playoff teams over the next seven games, including the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and The Denver Nuggets, three of the four top teams in the East and the defending NBA Champions of the West.
The improved squad will truly be tested over the next seven games and how they respond will be a testament to if this team is capable of a greater season than we've seen. A winning record over the next seven games would have the Jazz right where they need to be to compete for a playoff spot.