The Jazz are indeed the team in the best shape of the league currently. Will Hardy and his men have just won six victories in a row. Their record is positive, with 22 victories and 20 defeats. Which was not won just a month ago.
Because in fact, on the evening of December 11, 2023, after a defeat in Oklahoma City, the Jazz had only 7 wins for 16 defeats… What happened next to make the face of this team change so much?
“We beat New York at home, and it was important because the players understood that if we do what is necessary, we can beat a good team”remembers Will Hardy for The Athletic. “Afterwards, the next day, we went to play and win in Portland. Then we beat Brooklyn. It was then that we understood that we could succeed in the long term. »
Since this setback against the Thunder, the Jazz have won 15 matches out of 19, including successes against Dallas, Milwaukee, Philadelphia or even the reigning champion, Denver, and the Lakers. Enough to gain confidence.
“We committed to changing our defenses and we also stopped putting systems in place on each possession,” continues the Jazz coach. “We started playing faster. It was at this moment that we invested, that we put ourselves in a good mental state. »
Remember bad times to stay motivated
A difficult start, then a very successful month: we can summarize the first part of the Jazz season like this, which is approaching this turn in the green.
“I would describe these first 41 matches as a success for what we can do in the future,” Will Hardy said before the victory against Indiana on “MLK Day”. “It’s not the results that satisfy me. I'm happy with the way. The team showed courage and character. She has confidence in herself. When we prepare for a match, the players know that if they do certain things, they can win. This is a big step in the right direction. »
But the coach warns, his players can still ” do better “and successes should not put them to sleep. “What concerns me at the moment is that we are on a winning streak, and that is very good, but it is also the moment when our mistakes are covered by our successes”he judges for the Deseret News.
The players are aware that, although we must not spit in the soup, the Jazz still have room to spare. “Even if we win, we build habits. We want to be serious. We try to improve, no matter the score. That is the most important “, announces Lauri Markkanen.
“We have to remember the times when we lost, I think it’s really important,” insists Collin Sexton to motivate himself. “We remember those moments and how it wasn’t fun in the locker room. »
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Lauri Markkanen | 31 | 32.5 | 49.2 | 39.5 | 86.7 | 2.5 | 6.3 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 23.7 |
| Jordan Clarkson | 31 | 30.1 | 41.7 | 31.1 | 88.3 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 5.3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 17.9 |
| Collin Sexton | 41 | 23.5 | 48.3 | 35.7 | 89.3 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 16.5 |
| John Collins | 37 | 28.1 | 50.4 | 38.5 | 76.5 | 2.0 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 13.9 |
| Keyonte George | 35 | 25.0 | 37.0 | 32.3 | 80.6 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 11.1 |
| Talen Horton Tucker | 30 | 22.0 | 41.1 | 33.3 | 78.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 11.0 |
| Simone Fontecchio | 39 | 22.5 | 44.4 | 38.9 | 77.1 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 8.8 |
| Walker Kessler | 33 | 23.7 | 64.5 | 25.0 | 51.1 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 7.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 8.8 |
| Kelly Olynyk | 39 | 21.1 | 55.3 | 42.9 | 85.5 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 8.1 |
| Ochai Agbaji | 41 | 20.3 | 43.6 | 33.1 | 73.3 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 6.0 |
| Kris Dunn | 33 | 17.3 | 46.9 | 37.0 | 68.8 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 5.0 |
| Taylor Hendricks | 13 | 14.0 | 39.7 | 34.3 | 75.0 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 4.9 |
| Omer Yurtseven | 23 | 11.0 | 50.0 | 20.0 | 60.0 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 3.7 |
| Luka Samanic | 18 | 6.5 | 38.2 | 25.0 | 84.6 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3.2 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | 4 | 2.9 | 33.3 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Mike Potter | 2 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Johnny Juzang | 1 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
