Jazz Continues to Succeed Despite Will Hardy’s Odd Selection of the Lineup.
The Utah Jazz have started to ignite after their most recent road stretch. They have won four of their previous six games, making up for their early-season road woes.
But there are interesting scenarios associated with it. in particular with regard to the choices made by head coach Will Hardy regarding the lineup and rotation.
It’s hard to be dissatisfied with the result given how well this team has been playing lately, but it is reasonable to raise a few concerns. Most importantly, Walker Kessler, the defensive anchor in his second year.
After suffering an injury early in the 2023–24 season, Kessler has not often started for the Jazz. In spite of playing a steady role as one of this team’s starting five in his rookie campaign, he has only started three of his last fourteen games.
Initially, this change in the starting lineup might have been explained by Will Hardy being cautious following Kessler’s UCL sprain. Walker hasn’t been in the starting lineup for more than a month now, and his position as this team’s starting center hasn’t held steady. Rather, Kelly Olynyk, John Collins, and even Omer Yurtseven have been selected in multiple combinations to go over him at the five.
