Will Hardy Gives Noteworthy Praise to One Utah Jazz Veteran

In the midst of the Utah Jazz's latest loss to the Memphis Grizzlies coming out of the All-Star break, falling 114-123 on the road in FedExForum, it was a night that the Jazz rolled out 11 of their 12 available players on the floor for five minutes or more.

However, the one player that was left without minutes on the Jazz's bench has actually been somebody that head coach Will Hardy has been consistently vocal of his praise for from start to finish of the season––that being veteran guard Svi Mykhailiuk.

Mykhailiuk, who's started in 45 games for the Jazz across the season, has been increasingly phased out of the rotation in recent weeks as Utah tries to develop their young talent around the roster and give them more minutes.

That process has left guys like Jusuf Nurkic and Mykhailiuk on the short end of the stick, but that certainly doesn't mean they've fallen out of favor with Hardy. If anything, their professionalism throughout the year has made him even more of a coach's favorite.

"He's been the ultimate pro his entire time with us," Hardy said of Mykhailiuk. "There are times that he's in the rotation. There are times he's been a starter. There are times he's been out of the rotation. And he always handles himself with a ton of class. He's always prepared. He's a great teammate. We're lucky to have Svi in our organization."

Will Hardy Calls Svi Mykhailiuk "Ultimate Pro"

Mykhailiuk has managed to put together some of the best numbers of his career this season when on the floor for the Jazz.

In 45 games, he's averaging 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists a night while shooting 47.8% from the field and 39.7% from three. It's the best shooting percentage from deep on the roster (min. 200 attempts), and has made himself into a versatile, connecting piece on the wing for the Jazz's rotation.

But, even when factoring in Mykhailiuk's steady production, it's found him spending more and more time on the bench as a result. He's been a DNP in four of his last five possible appearances, and in the one game he did play vs. the Portland Trail Blazers, he had 14 points on 62.5% from the field, four makes from three, paired with three assists.

Feb 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Caleb Love (2) and Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (10) chase a loose ball during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

If anything, the way that Mykhailiuk has operated this season, both on the floor and the bench, might have just cemented himself a spot on next year's roster as an affordable plug-and-play veteran on the wing.

When looking ahead, Mykhailiuk is signed to his current contract of under $4 million annually for the next two seasons, and will have a club option of $4.1 million in the 2029 offseason. Those upcoming years also come as non-guaranteed for the Jazz, which makes his deal even more team-friendly for every season that he keeps playing at his current level.

Rather than pinning him as an easy trade target in the offseason, it might be more likely that the Jazz keep him onboard as a budget-friendly veteran for the foreseeable future, and maybe even someone that can be on Utah's next playoff roster.