Utah Jazz's Will Hardy Explains Sudden Benching of Two Starters

As the Utah Jazz were able to take down the Dallas Mavericks in a 140-133 overtime victory, they were able to pull it off without two of their starters, veterans Svi Mykhailiuk and Jusuf Nurkic

Both Mykhailiuk and Nurkic were a healthy scratch before the Jazz tipped off against Dallas, which led to the duo of Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski to be elevated into the starting lineup, as well as Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks to get some extended run with the main roster after some time in the G League.

It's the first time that the Jazz have rested both of their veteran starters this season, and for head coach Will Hardy, the decision to do so came down to two factors: keeping his guys healthy, while also seeing a bit more from the young core.

"We need to take care of their bodies. We also need to see some of these young guys play," Hardy said of resting Mykhailiuk and Nurkic. "And, I felt like it was an opportunity to see Brice [Sensabaugh] play with Lauri [Markkanen] and Keyonte [George]– something he hasn't gotten to do a ton of this year."

"And then Cody [Williams] and Taylor [Hendricks], I think, have been working really hard, and it's good to have moments where they are with us, and they play real minutes, and they get to– it's like a progress report, Like, where am I at? How is this going? It's also good to have them back around the group, around the team."

"So, It's not a perfect science. But tonight felt like a good night for all those things to happen."

Will Hardy on the different lineups: What we're really building towards is that you need to have a team that's deep in this league. pic.twitter.com/XZFKfEQ0XX
— JP Chunga (@JP_Chunga) December 16, 2025

Will Hardy Wanted to See Jazz's Young Guys Play

Especially down the bench with what Williams and Hendricks had to offer, the decision to give the young guys a bit more PT than usual proved to be a good decsion.

Williams shined on the offensive end, especially in the second quarter, by putting together a season high of 11 points shooting 5-9 from the field, while also being an impact defender late in the game. Hendricks filled his role with 11 points himself, cashing in 3-4 three-pointers throughout the night.

Divying up those minutes between the vets and the youth movement moving forward will certainly be an interesting decision for Hardy when the time comes. But in doing so, it shows the type of depth this roster might have and needs to be competitive.

"I think, that's where it's a team, and no night is about any individual, A guy like Svi has been in the spot that he's been in because of his consistency. So, you have him take a night to play somebody else, and they do well, it doesn't mean that he lost his job," Hardy said postgame.

Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches the team warm up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

"I think what we're, what we're really building towards is, you need to have a team that's deep in this league. Because of injuries, because of fatigue, because of matchups and certain lineups, sometimes against different teams work better. And so, that's what we're trying to build, and we want everybody to get used to that feeling of being on a team, and it's not about me."

Mykhailiuk and Nurkic may very well reclaim their usual spots in the starting five for the Jazz's next game against the LA Lakers, but for Utah's youth to shine as it did against the Mavericks is a good sign regardless.

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