Danny Ainge's True Reaction to Jazz's Hot 10-3 Start Revealed
You'd have to assume that when CEO Danny Ainge hired Will Hardy to be the new head coach of the Utah Jazz, he expected success on some level. Perhaps Ainge saw that success as a distantly future prospect, not so much an out-of-the-gates romping triumph.
Let's face it: nobody saw Utah's 10-3 start coming, especially after Ainge signaled his intention of rebuilding the Jazz by trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for a king's ransom of draft picks and relatively mid-level players. Turns out, though, many of those players are a big reason for Utah's early success in 2022-23.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Ainge dropped the facade enough to reveal that he absolutely didn't expect Hardy to lead the Jazz to such early success.
“Pleasantly surprised,” Ainge told Mannix in a telephone interview.
Don't get Ainge's remarks twisted. Although he may have been expecting the Jazz to lose more games than they win, and thus, perhaps planning on a lackluster season that would lead to a bolstered position in the NBA lottery, he couldn't be happier to be the architect presiding over such a winning product.
#TankNote? Not according to Ainge.
“I mean, come on,” Ainge told Mannix. “Who would say that? And who would I ever have told that to? Just think about that for a second.”
Mannix points out in his piece, in conversation with Ainge, that the outside perception is that the Jazz front-office czar must be displeased, and cursing the basketball gods every time Utah stacks another win and foils his purported tanking plan.
“I’m not commenting on other people’s comments,” Ainge told Mannix. “It’s assumed that’s how I feel? Give me a break. I’ve been accused of [building teams to lose] before. It’s never been true.”
Seeing how quickly Hardy whipped this new-look Jazz squad into shape, and just how fast the new cast of characters came together to form the NBA's most selfless brand of basketball has been a marvel. It's a true credit to Hardy, and thus, Ainge as well, for making the right decision to hire the youngest head coach in the NBA.
There might not be a superstar name among the list of newcomers like Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Kelly Olynyk, but like a basketball Voltron, when their powers are combined, the Jazz become a massive collective force to be reckoned with, especially when you throw in holdovers like Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley, both of whom seem to be punching above their weight class this season.
Color Ainge impressed with how quickly it all came together for the Jazz.
“Not that each individual couldn't play well,” Ainge told Mannix. “I like a lot of the players on our team. But the fact that they've jelled so well so early is fun. There is a lot of movement and a lot of guys moving the ball. That's a fun way to play. And I think they're all enjoying it very much.”
After the initial start, the overwhelming feeling around the NBA was, 'This team will come crashing back down to Earth sooner or later.' But 13 games in, it's clear that, while the Jazz might not have the legs to go the distance against some of the Western Conference's giants, this team is for real.
Next up, the Jazz get to cross swords with the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Tip-off is at 4 pm MDT.
