Jazz's Jaren Jackson Jr. Opens Up on Early Experience With Will Hardy

The Utah Jazz made their big trade deadline splash with the Memphis Grizzlies for Jaren Jackson Jr. around just a month ago, and in that time, the former Defensive Player of the Year has gradually begun to get settled into his new home in Salt Lake City, albeit while playing in just three regular-season games.

That process for Jackson to get adjusted to his new team was seemingly made a bit easier thanks to some help from his new head coach, Will Hardy, one of the league's budding head coaching minds that's known to connect with his players well, and was bound to help make the transition easier after the midseason move.

Jackson Jr. opened up on his first moments speaking with his new head coach after the fallout of his move from the Grizzlies, where it seemed like the two began to click rather quickly.

"He was super excited," Jackson Jr. said of Will Hardy in an interview with Holly Rowe. "Initially, he asked me, he said there's probably a lot going through my head, which there was... it hadn't even been 3 hours [after the trade]. So, he asked me, 'What could make this easier?' And I just said, 'Just give me the X's and O's like, what the system and the terminology was, because that's what I wanted to get ahead of."

"And he just would send me one thing a day, because he didn't want to overload me," Jackson Jr. continued. "I hadn't even met them yet. So he would send me little things. I was asking for film and all that. He just told me there's time for that. So, I got it as soon as I played a game. I ended up getting on the film database and getting the terms and the plays, and it was a lot easier after that. But I mean, there's so much more to do."

Jaren Jackson Jr. talking about Will Hardy: https://t.co/spt8ljWswZ pic.twitter.com/xxHwGWjojb
— JP Chunga (@JP_Chunga) March 4, 2026

Of course, Jackson's time on the floor for the Jazz would wind up coming to a halt a bit prematurely, as it would only be three games before the two-time All-Star needed to get surgery to remove a PVNS mass in his left knee, sidelining him for the rest of the year that leaves the next time he'll be on the floor in October for next campaign's regular season opener.

But it was in that short timeframe that Jackson Jr. and Hardy wound up connecting pretty well for the newest Jazz star to have a set of productive games––averaging 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.0 steals in just 24 minutes a night, and showing flashes of just how nicely he'll be able to fit into Utah's frontcourt once fully healthy.

Feb 5, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy on the sideline against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

That connection with Hardy will also only grow to be even stronger the longer that Jackson Jr. is in the building, and able to build chemistry with his new team to fill out to his full ceiling on both ends of the floor.

But based on the early signs shown in the weeks following the Jazz's deadline splash, it feels like the fit for Jackson in Salt Lake City is one that'll pan out rather well.