Will Hardy Encouraged by Jazz's Future After Bucks Loss

The Utah Jazz came up short to the Milwaukee Bucks in their final of a three-game road trip, 99-113 loss for what would be their 45th loss on the regular season so far.

But even with another loss to add onto the Jazz's heavy total of their 2025-26 campaign, now with just over a month to go in the regular season, there's still a lot of positive hopes for the future in the mind of head coach Will Hardy.

Spanning from the players to those that work around the organization on the staff, Hardy had a ton of praise to hand the Jazz for what the future may hold after their latest loss to the Bucks, making it clear that he's confident in what lies ahead in Salt Lake City:

“I’m really excited about where we’re going,” Utah head coach Will Hardy, “and I’m really excited about the people that we have in our organization — that’s players and staff. When you talk about being a winning organization and building a winning culture, the people are everything, and I think we’ve done a really good job in terms of the people we’ve put in our locker room and the people that we put around them.”

“I enjoy coming to work every day and I’m proud to be a part of this organization,” Hardy continued. “I think we’re all excited about the future and what we’re building, and these guys obviously do an incredible job of representing our our group and our fan base every night with how they conduct themselves.”

Will Hardy Remains Pumped for Utah Jazz's Future

Even in another double-digit defeat, this young core showing signs of life and positive development against an all-world talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo, even while severely shorthanded, shows the bright future that’s to be in store when looking forward as close as next season.

Between the star-studded frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., a healthy Walker Kessler returning at the start of next season, and the growing talents of Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, and another potential lottery pick incoming this summer, it's easy to see why Hardy's so confident in what's to come.

Feb 20, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

But even with that positive future on the horizon, Hardy won't be letting up on his young players and their development in the final quarter of the regular season. With those regular season games still on tap, there is a chance for this young Jazz core to continue getting better––something that Keyonte George is more than aware of.

“Obviously, we know Will is excited (about the future), but at the same time, he’s still focused on right now, on the present,” Keyonte George said postgame, via Sarah Todd of Deseret News. “He can’t let us slip for the last 18 games or whatever we have left."

“It means a lot to the whole group, and especially me, to have a coach that understands that we’re not gonna make it to the playoffs and he comes to work every day and gives us 100%. We see a head coach do that, we have no option but to be as professional as him.

The future is bright in Salt Lake City, but there's also some necessary patience required before this core is able to showcase its full potential at the start of next season.

But with the flashes that have been shown all season long, combined with the development in store for the young talent on the roster headed into this summer and next season, there's a lot to love with what's set to come next for this long-winded Jazz rebuild.