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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy didn't mince words after his team fell 119-100 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday at the Delta Center.
The Jazz were tied at halftime but some selfish offense morphed into some porous defense, and soon the Wolves — led by old friend Mike Conley — ran away with the victory.
"There are 30 possessions you could point out where there are multiple people open and we're just forcing it," Hardy said.
Then he got a bit more forceful in his message.
"Stats don't mean (expletive)," he added. "I don't care about your individual stats. I don't care how many points you score. I don't care what you post on Instagram. It doesn't matter. It's a team sport, you play to win."
It was reminiscent of a message he sent his team earlier in the season when he said: "If you're gonna wear a Jazz jersey, you have to give a (expletive) about the Utah Jazz."
The message resonated at the time, and the Jazz went on a midseason turnaround due to a "play hard and pass" mantra. A similar course correction is needed once again; there wasn't just one culprit on Saturday.
Keyonte George forced looks and was even taken out late in the game after failing to execute a play after a timeout.
"I hold Keyonte to a higher standard," Hardy said. "And if he's going to be the future of this program, which is something that I think he's capable of being, he has to hold himself to that standard, as well."
Brice Sensabaugh and Taylor Hendricks took quick shots; Collin Sexton, even with his 10 assists, got caught deep in the paint on multiple occasions; and Kris Dunn chose midrange jumpers over open teammates. It was a team-wide problem.
"We have to nip this in the bud now," Hardy said. "Because I've said this before, and I'll say it again, there will not be free minutes in this program. And so you're either going to start learning and you're going to start playing the right way, and you're going to start participating with your teammates, or you're not gonna play."
George said the "message is clear," and the Jazz have to know their schemes and be locked in "at all levels."
"Just play harder, that's the main thing, no matter what's going on with yourself," George said. "We gotta go ahead and be professionals."
Walker Kessler couldn't repeat some of the things Hardy told the team after the game — some colorful language was likely used — but he summed it up by saying the team has to "play with more pride" and to "stop complaining and looking for an excuse."
To Hardy, that starts with passing the ball.
