Will Hardy has been in one of the most fortunate NBA situations since the Utah Jazz first hried him in 2022. Because the team was expected to lose, there was no pressure on Hardy to succeed. That will change next season, but did you know that we are entering Year 5 of the Hardy era? And that only six coaches in the entire league have been with their teams longer than he has?
It's true. Following the Dallas Mavericks' firing of Jason Kidd, The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds revealed that Hardy has the seventh-longest tenure among active NBA coaches.
Want to hear something wild?
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) May 19, 2026
Will Hardy now has the seventh-longest active tenure among all NBA coaches, after Jason Kidd's ouster in Dallas.
Erik Spoelstra, Steve Kerr, Tyronn Lue, Mark Daigneault, Chris Finch, Rick Carlisle ... and then Will Hardy.
Hardy has proven his talent, but that has only been in spurts. In some ways, it's a little unfair, as their struggles haven't really been on him. Even so, the franchise has made it clear that they believe in Hardy, having given him an extension last year even after they came off their worst season as a franchise.
It shows the utmost confidence in Hardy. Having faith in him is a good thing, but technically, he hasn't proven all that much. There's obviously a rationale to why they've stuck with him, but he is still unproven for the time being.
Now Hardy has to prove them right
Hardy's talent as a coach is palpable, but it has yet to translate into results. His biggest claim to fame four years into his tenure is how he basically helped turn Lauri Markkanen into a star. Besides that though, not much else.
Next year, he'll go from having as low expectation as possible to as high expectations as possible in one feel swoop. That's not easy for coaches to do, especially ones who have their first job as a head coach.
In fact, Utah suddenly building a playoff contender as quickly as they have dating back to February is further evidence of their confidence in him going forward. Again, it will be on him to prove that they are right to think he is the man for the job.
Even if there's not much evidence, Hardy deserves the benefit of the doubt. At the same time, don't be surprised if there are some bumps along the way, but don't be surprised if the Jazz go on stretches where they look like the most unstoppable basketball team ever assembled in spurts.
Utah is expected to be good next season. They have the talent to be an excellent team, but coaching will go a long way in helpign them reach their potential. After Hardy basically breezed through class, he's got his first big test coming up.
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