Jazz HC Will Hardy Issues Takeaways After 124-126 Loss vs. Grizzlies

The Utah Jazz head coach sounds off after the team's opening night loss.

Oct 15, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy glances at the scoreboard against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz got their 2024-25 campaign officially kicked off on Wednesday night for their home opener, yet couldn't finish the job, as the Memphis Grizzlies took home a close 124-126 win, dropping the Jazz to an 0-1 start to the year.

However, when you ask third-year Jazz head coach Will Hardy, there were still notable bright spots to appreciate on both sides of the ball, even while it may be in a narrow home loss.

"I do think that overall, there's more good than bad in that game," Hardy said after Wednesday's game. "If we start with the offensive side of the ball, the second half is a blueprint for how we'd like to play. In the first half, we just put ourselves behind the curve. Played a little too much one-on-one. Our decisions to pass were usually about a dribble late, so we weren't able to capitalize on some of the advantages that we gained. But, I think the second half was a much better picture of how we'd like to play offensively."

The Jazz started off this game on the wrong foot. Utah entered halftime down 11 points to the Grizzlies while shooting a collective 36.6% from the field and a bleak 2/10 from deep. Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton held their own by putting in 28 of the team's 50 first-half points, but it was really the second half when things began to come together.

Utah shot a much improved 50% clip from deep on 16 attempts in the second half, while also finding five players to score in double figures. The ball was moving more fluidly, more teammates got involved offensively, and as a result, we saw better results across the board. The Jazz also saw an elite 56.8% from the field, showcasing a resurgence on that side of the ball ending the game.

However, it wasn't enough to rally a comeback against the Grizzlies. Memphis still shot over 50% from the field through the second half, and saw Desmond Bane's 19 second half points, and Ja Morant's game-clinching finish late in the fourth close this one out in the end.

Ja Morant with an INCREDIBLE handle into finish 🤯

Puts the Grizzlies up 5 late in the 4Q on NBA League Pass!

📲 https://t.co/n4DwiGAYgZ pic.twitter.com/SPCbaB9hNs

— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2024

"Defensively, I think we lost the plot a little bit in the second half in terms of protecting the basket," Hardy continued. "We probably got a little bit worried about some of their three-point shooters. [Ja] Morant, in particular, was able to get in the paint a lot more in the second half than he did in the first half. And they hurt us on the glass-- 13 offensive rebounds. We did the same thing to them on the other end, but I thought we had some good moments in the first half physically rebounding, and in the second half we didn't do quite as good a job."

Protecting the basket and being consistent on the boards still came to bite the Jazz, but it was still a big step in the right direction from their ugly final preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers, one where they let up 68 points in the paint and lost the rebound battle 44-56. A big component of that comes from the stellar performance of third-year center Walker Kessler, putting up 14 boards and five blocks in 29 minutes.

"It's funny, you lose by two, and it doesn't feel good, but I truly did feel like there was more good than bad in that game," Coach Hardy said after Wednesday's loss. "A bunch of our young players played well. Walker [Kessler] had a great game. I thought Taylor [Hendricks] was great. Lauri [Markkanen] was a beast tonight. I thought we got some good play from a lot of guys, and the margins are thin in the NBA between winning and losing. We'll get back to the gym tomorrow, watch some film, and off we go."

Hardy and his guys will get back to the grind on Friday when the Golden State Warriors travel to the Delta Center, facing against the Jazz at 7:30 PM MT.

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