The NBA’s second youngest bench boss, Will Hardy, has had his fourth year exercised on his contract by the Utah Jazz. The move speaks volumes about how the organization feels about Hardy leading the team, which is currently in rebuild mode.
The Utah Jazz have exercised the fifth-year option on head coach Will Hardy, the team announced. He’s entering his third season with the franchise.
The Utah Jazz have exercised Will Hardy’s four-year contract. The league’s second-youngest coach is entering his third season as head coach. Hardy is just 36 years old; only Joe Mazzulla, the Boston Celtics head coach, is younger.
Hardy took over coaching duties in Utah during the 2022 offseason. Since then, the Jazz have accumulated a 68-96 overall record. While a below .500 record looks unconvincing on paper, the overall impact and coaching that Hardy has brought to the organization has been solid. The Jazz were a perennial playoff team under now Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, withDonovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert leading on the floor. Under Snyder, the Jazz made the postseason for six consecutive seasons from 2016-2022.
Unfortunately, with Hardy at the helm, Utah has yet to see a playoff berth. However, that is not a hit on Hardy. The Jazz have undertaken a complete roster overhaul since his hiring, which has played a factor. Still, Utah’s front office has faith in Hardy as their future coach.
