Will Hardy Expresses Optimism in Jazz Roster Despite Rough Stretch

The Utah Jazz suffered their tenth-straight loss on Tuesday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite the Cleveland Cavaliers being without star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz couldn't take care of business on Tuesday night, dropping their tenth-straight game in a 113-129 rout. Without the consistent help of Lauri Markkanen or Jordan Clarkson in the lineup, this roster has struggled to put up positive results in the W/L category.

It's led to the recent implementation of a super youthful starting five, headlined by rookies Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh being slotted in to close the year out. The talent and high ceiling of each of these players is apparent, but the Jazz have continued to struggle throughout the entirety of March and at the start of April.

Still, head coach Will Hardy has yet to show any signs of giving up on this young core. After the game on Tuesday, he spoke at the podium about how he's seen the development of these players take place in recent weeks.

"I do see this group, and I do see our young players continuing to grow, and they are showing they are capable of playing good basketball," Hardy said. "We've talked a lot this season about how we can shorten bad stretches, and I think right now, the goal with the young players is how do we learn to lengthen the good stretches, because I do think they are showing progress."

Since transitioning from their placement in the G-League, Hendricks, and Sensabaugh have continued to show flashes with their increase in playing time and opportunity. Even while on the cusp of one of the longest losing streaks in franchise history, the silver lining is evident.

However, things won't get any easier for Utah moving forward, as they're up against the NBA's second most difficult strength of schedule for the rest of the year. Among the many goals this team needs to accomplish for the rest of the way, getting this young group to put together a consistent effort on both ends of the floor might land at the top of the list, even if the results don't end with wins on the board.

The Jazz will have a chance to break their long-winded winless stretch on Friday as they travel to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Crypto.com Arena.

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