Will Hardy Bashes Jazz After 'Unrecognizable' Effort vs. Grizzlies

The Utah Jazz came up short of the win on Wednesday at home vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, 103-140, in a game that, on paper, looked a bit similar to the final results of many games this season as a part of their bumpy and strenuous season.

However, following the action, the feelings were unusually different for third-year Jazz head coach Will Hardy. He entered his post-game presser with a different demeanor, sullen, and prepared to make a statement for his guys after an underwhelming performance on Wednesday.

Hardy went on to fire off on the poor showing he saw from his guys on Wednesday, noting the second half of action as "unrecognizable," calling out stubbornness around the roster, and even a bit of entitlement.

"The second half was unrecognizable in almost every way," Hardy said. "There's moments where stubbornness is cute, and there's moments where stubbornness is embarrassing. At some point, every person needs to look in the mirror and understand what's being asked of them, and try to do it at the best of their ability, at the highest level of intensity that they can... There are moments where I feel like I'm having to restrain the core of who I am because there seems to be an unwillingness at times to understand that this is not something that you can take for granted."

While many around the league may view this Jazz team diving nose-first into a grade-A tank job for the draft, the closing parts of this regular season are far from that for head coach Will Hardy. He and many on Utah's roster have harped on the importance held within the end of the season, seemingly eager to utilize the chance to get better any time they can.

However, that wasn't the case for the Jazz on Wednesday. The effort, tenacity, and willingness to play as a group were clearly not up to par, and Hardy wants to ensure such a performance won't happen again.

"You are a member of a team. This is not about you. This is not a personal workout for you. I could go on and on and on, but you get the point. It's a team game, and the moment that you make everything about yourself is the moment it all goes bad, and it becomes an infection –– one person does it, then another person does it," Hardy continued. "It's disappointing. This is stuff that we talk about every day."

Of course, it's been far from an easy season for this group, and as the Jazz continue to pile up losses in the standings and keep pushing through a grueling year, low moments like these will inevitably happen in the process. Yet, if there's a lack of accountability in the group or continued efforts presented, like in Wednesday's game, Hardy, and the organization won't keep letting it fly.

"The NBA will stop for no one, and our program will stop for nobody," Hardy continued. "There needs to be accountability of self first, and everybody on our team needs to understand that opportunity should not be taken lightly... There are very few times where I've been disappointed in our group, and tonight I'll drive home disappointed. But, we have to all wake up tomorrow and get back to work."

The Jazz will have nine more games to get back on the right track, getting back to work on Thursday night in another tough Western Conference battle vs. the Houston Rockets.

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