The Utah Jazz had another disappointing playoff run this season, getting dumped out of the first round by a Dallas Mavericks team playing without Luka Doncic for the first 3 games. There were reports of locker room dysfunction during that time, and the whole saga eventually culminated with the organization parting ways with Head Coach Quin Snyder after 8 seasons with the team.
The Jazz may still go through some changes to their roster, but for now, the priority has seemingly been to hire a new Head Coach. And a team that did enjoy great success in the playoffs is the Boston Celtics, who made it to the NBA Finals. Assistant Coach Will Hardy has now emerged as Utah’s main choice for the job, with Shams Charania reporting that he is finalizing a deal with the Jazz to take over the role.
Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and his front office underwent an extensive coaching search process that included former head coaches, top assistants, G League coaches and former players. Will Hardy — the top assistant on Ime Udoka's Boston staff — emerged as the strong frontrunner. https://t.co/NamLf1lOZ3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 28, 2022
“Boston Celtics assistant Will Hardy is closing in on deal to become the next head coach of the Utah Jazz. Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and his front office underwent an extensive coaching search process that included former head coaches, top assistants, G League coaches and former players. Will Hardy — the top assistant on Ime Udoka’s Boston staff — emerged as the strong frontrunner.”
Will Hardy spent five seasons as a part of the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff under Gregg Popovich before joining Ime Udoka as his top assistant with the Boston Celtics in 2021-22. Hardy has been a part of some great coaching units, and it seems he has gotten his break with the Utah job.
Just 34, this will make Hardy the youngest active coach in the NBA, and perhaps the hope for Utah is that he will be able to bring some fresh direction to a team that had somewhat stagnated under Quin Snyder. It remains to be seen what this means for the duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, but the new Head Coach is sure to have some input on that front.
