Will Hardy Shares One-Word Assessment of Utah Jazz's Defense

The Utah Jazz's ability on the defensive side of the ball has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the past four seasons, and just over 25 games into the 2025-26 campaign, those lapses have continued.

The Jazz rank 29th in the NBA for defensive rating (122.7), allow the most points in the NBA at just over 127 points a night, and with a bunch of young players on the roster still developing on that end of the floor, those growing pains have clearly persisted for another season.

But it hasn't been all bad in the eyes of Will Hardy, and specifically when it comes to the Jazz's communication on the defensive end.

Hardy dove into some of what he's seen from the Jazz and their defensive communication lately before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies, describing Utah's efforts as "sporadic," but still seeing the team show positive strides in the process.

"Sporadic," Hardy said of the defense and their communication. "Like the team is trusting each other more."

"The part about communication that we have to keep focusing on is, just because you and I understand what we both are trying to do in this scenario, we still have to say it out loud if we're switching. We still have to communicate the coverage every single time."

"There's times where the guys are assuming that their teammate knows what's happening. But I think we've had some moments of really good communication. Like it hasn't all been bad at all. I just feel like the consistency over the last 5 games. hasn't been where we need it to be."

Utah Jazz's Defense Still a Work-in-Progress

There's some optimism for what the Jazz can soon develop into on the defensive end, simply with the personnel and skillsets that can soon be developed around the roster.

Taylor Hendricks has proven before his season-ending injury last season that he has the potential to be a lengthy and versatile defender in due time. Cody Williams, while still raw, has some similar appealing length and will continue to develop on that end as he grows into his NBA body. Walker Kessler can be the Jazz's defensive anchor in the middle for the foreseeable future, but of course, he's out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Dec 7, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Their development paired with others around the roster, along with the Jazz's simple communication tendencies, still needs time to incubate before Utah can become a true threat on both ends of the floor. The numbers show just that, and over the coming months, continuing to become more refined on that end of the floor will remain a focal point for Hardy, as it has been all season.

Until then, just like the rest of the Jazz's rebuilding process, it'll take some added time and patience to see that come to fruition. But with Hardy at the helm, that defensive focus is bound to remain consistent from start to finish of the regular season.

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