New Jazz HC Will Hardy to Cultivate 'Toughness, Sacrifice, & Passion'
Will Hardy was officially introduced to the media as the new head coach of the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Quin Snyder's successor covered a wide range of topics including what identity he'll be looking to forge heading into the 2022-23 season.
Owner Ryan Smith and executive Danny Ainge also attended the presser which was hosted at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
Let's get to some of the key points and remarks of the day.
Hardy stressed a trio of words when describing what qualities he'll be looking to establish in the Jazz.
"I want our team to represent toughness, sacrifice, and passion," Hardy said.
Hardy also addressed the elephant in the room — Donovon Mitchell — and his relationship with the Jazz's All-Star.
"We have a pre-existing relationship from the 2019 World Cup Team USA, so it was great to kind of pick up where we left off," Hardy said.
When it comes to building a coaching staff, Hardy pointed to the assistants already on staff.
"There's a lot of great coaches in the NBA, and some of those coaches are already here," Hardy said.
Ainge dished on Hardy's communication skills and ability to make connections with people.
"We feel like he is a relationship builder," Ainge said. "Yes, he's 34 years old, but he didn't feel 34 to us."
Hardy talked about how he accepted the position without knowing what the exact makeup of the roster would be and why that was a non-issue to him.
"No, [I] don't care," Hardy said. "Teams change. My focus was on Ainge and Smith. They're winners. I wanted to be with them."
Smith and Ainge's remarks revealed also that the front office was unified in its agreement that Hardy was the guy to take the reins, so it wasn't necessary to continue with second interviews.
Jazz guard Jared Butler recently had his first interaction with Hardy at the NBA Summer League, and described his new head coach's intensity.
"He's like an intense person but not overbearing," Butler said. "You can tell that he's really serious about what he does. He's got it all planned out. I feel a sense of urgency, but at the same time, he's not like overbearing, so I like that a lot."
Hardy will have his work cut out for him, but out of the gates, he looks like he knows what he's getting into and is up for the task at hand.
The Jazz open up Summer League play Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. MDT against Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.
