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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy was encouraged by his team’s first preseason performance, highlighting the ball movement, ball security and defensive effort following Sunday’s 109-97 win over the Denver Nuggets.
“I thought there were a lot of things that we did pretty well in the game,” Hardy said. “Obviously, there’s tons to clean up, which is to be expected at this point in camp, but I think it’s a good one for the group to build on.”
Utah finished with 28 assists while committing only 10 turnovers, something Hardy particularly appreciated.
“I thought the ball moved great, 28 assists,” he said. “The part I’m happiest about on that end is only 10 turnovers. I thought we did a good job taking care of the ball.”
Hardy also liked what he saw defensively when the Jazz were able to get set.
“Defensively, when we got back and got our defense set, it was pretty good in the half court,” he said. “There’s again tons of little things to tweak and clean up, but overall I thought the effort of the group was there, the ball movement and the intent on both sides of the ball was there.”
Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier were important in initiating Utah’s offense, with Hardy pointing to their ability to attack the paint in different ways.
“I thought they both used their burst to get in the paint,” Hardy said. “They do it differently. Zay in transition one-on-one has the ability to put a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Hardy noted that George can create advantages through off-ball movement, handoffs and pick-and-roll situations.
“Those guys both know they have a ton of responsibility to create offense for our group,” he said. “Sometimes that means that they are just the beginning phase of building the advantage. It can’t always happen in one action.”
Hardy was also encouraged by the early chemistry between Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.
“I thought it was good,” he said. “They’re both picking their spots pretty well. It’s only one game, but we’ve seen it in practice also. They’re both recognizing when their opportunities are to attack and when they need to move it.”
Markkanen scored 17 points in 14 minutes, while Jackson added 11 points in 18 minutes. Hardy believes their combination of size and physicality can create problems for opposing teams.
“When those two are on the floor together they’re a little bit of a matchup problem in terms of their ability to play with some physicality,” Hardy said.
Hardy also discussed rookie Darryn Peterson, who finished with three points, six rebounds and two assists. Rather than overwhelming him with criticism after his first preseason game, Hardy plans to prioritize the most important areas for improvement.
“My job is to give Darryn a lot of feedback,” Hardy said. “I need to pick the moments appropriately and I need to prioritize what he needs to hear now versus what he may need to hear later.”
Hardy stressed that missing shots should not automatically be viewed as poor play.
“I’ve preached to our young players for years now that there’s a difference between playing poorly and shooting poorly,” he said. “I thought that Darryn a couple of times made really good choices and just missed.”
The Jazz coach was particularly impressed by Peterson’s approach to learning.
“Darryn’s been a great learner and he’s willing to receive feedback,” Hardy said. “He asks a lot of questions and it’s going to give him the opportunity to be a pretty good player because I think sensitivity to feedback is something you have to get rid of if you really want to become the best version of yourself.”
Hardy added that Peterson has already shown poise despite the demands of being a rookie.
“From my standpoint, I think he’s played with a lot of poise,” he said.
