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OKLAHOMA CITY — Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy took a second to ponder.
"The positives of a six-game road trip?" he said, jokingly repeating the question posed to him.
Then it hit him. On Friday morning, he woke up in a quiet hotel room; that, in some ways, was a positive in and of itself.
"My kids get up very early," Hardy said. "So a positive would be that this morning, although I love them and I do miss them very much, they were not at the side of my bed at 5 a.m."
Hardy isn't alone there. Lauri Markkanen, Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio are a few of the Jazz players with young families, so there could be some more restful nights over the next couple weeks. But there are other benefits to being on a two-week road trip than just a few extra Z's.
Sure, the games could get tough, as evidenced by the road trip's opening 130-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. The Jazz are just 11-20 on the road this season — compared to 20-13 at home — so it might not be the best timing as the team tries to hold onto its current play-in tournament position. Still, in other ways, it might be what the Jazz need.
"We get to be together, get to be with teammates, get to go to dinner, get to hangout," Markkanen said. "We've been home for like three weeks. We have a bunch of high character guys in the locker room, so excited to be together."
And there's another major positive for Markkanen, too.
"Off the court, obviously, Hogwarts Legacy," he said, referencing the extra time he has to play the new Harry Potter-based video game.
But when it comes to the court, the Jazz have some new faces, too.
Damian Jones and Juan Toscano-Anderson arrived in Utah just before the All-Star break, and Kris Dunn and Frank Jackson are on 10-day deals. To Hardy, getting more time together — on flights, on buses, at meals, at the hotel, etc. — allows relationships to grow between teammates and helps build trust.
Hardy said when there are extended periods at home — which the Jazz have had over the last two months — players and staff come together at the facility and arena, but then usually go their separate ways. That changes on long road swings.
"When we're on the road, you get to spend a lot of time with the staff and with the players," Hardy said. "There's a lot more of those sorts of connective moments where we're all together."
And with a semi-changing team, that can help on the court, too.
"We have some new faces, and so it's good to kind of get everybody out on the road and get to spend that time together," Hardy said. "We can continue to build those bonds, and ultimately build trust amongst the group. Those are the positives of the road."
Then he quickly added: "I do want to re-emphasize that I love my kids."
