Will Hardy Has Confident Outlook on Utah Jazz Despite 4

The Utah Jazz dropped their seventh game in their past nine showings on Thursday against the Atlanta Hawks, taking their record down to 4-8 on the year, and effectively cooled off the hot start the team put together in the first few games of the season.

But despite the Jazz's placement trending down in the league standings, the team's recent sample size has proven to head coach Will Hardy that there's confidence to be had in what this team could be in the near future.

In fact, following Utah's latest 10-point loss vs. the Hawks, Hardy doubled-down on the high potential he sees from his young core.

"I'm really encouraged by what I'm seeing from our team, though," Hardy said. "I think there's a right future ahead.  And this group in particular, I think, the way they carry themselves, the way they're competing every night, the way they're playing as a team, is very representative of we want to be."

Even though Utah's record hasn't turned a corner just yet, it's hard to say there's not any noteworthy positives shown through their first 12 games on the year.

Lauri Markkanen has re-established himself as the All-Star-caliber forward he once was after his previously injury-riddled campaign, Ace Bailey has continued to show steps in the right direction with every passing games, and Keyonte George has gotten off to a nice third-year jump himself with a career-high average in points (21.3) and assists (7.1).

Will Hardy Seeing Resilency From Utah Jazz

Nov 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Against the Hawks in particular, Utah shot an effective 43.2% from three on 19 makes, had 39 assists on 45 total shots made from the field, and had five players scoring in double figures, one of those being Markkanen's 40-piece.

But because of Utah 24 turnovers and 18 live ball turnovers and Atlanta's impressive 51.1% from deep, they weren't quite able to catch up after a first half that the Hawks took control of.

Still, for Hardy, a game like that one isn't without its bright spots, especially through the resiliency his young group presented.

"These guys are playing like a team. I'm really proud of the way they're encouraging each other, they way they're sticking together, the way they're fighting as a group."

"Tonight [vs. the Hawks] was just one of those nights in the NBA, where you come out and you're a half step behind, and the other team catches this great rhythm, and it's really hard to slow down. "

There's a long season ahead with tons of ups and downs left to navigate for this young and developing core, but from what Hardy's seen thus far, he has the right group of guys in the facility to build that aspired winner in due time.

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