The Utah Jazz signaled their faith in Will Hardy by agreeing to a six-year extension with the Jazz head coach. Hardy has shown his talent calling the shots from the sidelines over the last three years, but following such a big commitment, the pressure will only intensify for him to get the Jazz results.
Hardy has shown how good of a coach he is, as the Jazz went through two seasons where they turned out better than many expected. Granted, their results during those two seasons only served to confuse everyone, but the one element that wasn't confusing was that Hardy made the best lemonade he could, no matter what lemons he was given.
Best of all, following a recent scare in which many feared he would leave the Jazz for the San Antonio Spurs, both Hardy and the Jazz signaled that this union is here to stay. However, given the timing of this extension following the Jazz's worst season in franchise history, all eyes will be on whether Hardy can deliver over the next few years.
That pressure won't be applied right away, as the Jazz are expected to be just as bad next season as they were this one. However, Utah will be expected to turn their fortunes around at some point. Fans will be patient for now, but every coach has a leash—even ones as good as Will Hardy.
But when will Utah expect Hardy to get some wins?
Three seasons into his tenure as coach, Utah has never really expected Hardy to thrive as his hiring came following the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades. That's the cushion he's had coaching a team that exceeded expectations, even if it wasn't expected to make the playoffs.
Even with all the confusion regarding the Jazz's direction before this last season started, no one blamed Hardy for that. If anything, it earned him goodwill as a coach. He has proven he can help rosters deprived of talent fulfill their potential. However, that does not necessarily equate to a title-winning coach.
No one's saying he can't guide a team to a title. It's just that, through no fault of his own, Hardy has yet to prove what he is truly capable of, even if the promise is certainly obvious. It also may be a while before he truly gets the chance.
Because he's on a rebuilding team, Hardy has pretty airtight job security for the next few years. However, when the Jazz signal that it's time to take a big step forward, all eyes will be on Hardy. Early signs have shown he's the guy for the job based on what he's done with what he's had, but he'll need to prove it.